Catching Up With The Past
by nick2951
Summary: Ten years after the Dollhouse and Charles, Spencer is a FBI Agent working a case that hauntingly resembles A with Toby, Mona, and Mike. Spoby and Mona/Mike
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

**Here is the first chapter of my newest fic and I hope you will enjoy it. This is a Spoby and Mike/Mona fic with some cameos from the other girls.**

Spencer groaned at the clock as the alarm blared.

She was tempted to just ignore it and go back to sleep; but she still had a mountain of paperwork to do in regards to her last case.

Reaching out and shutting off the alarm, Spencer sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Yawning, she shivered as the cold air impacted her body once the covers slid off. Quickly jumping out of bed, she hurried to the heater controls on the hallway wall just outside her room and turned on the heat. She then hopped back in bed and wrapped herself back in her covers in order to stay warm until the apartment was adequately heated.

Her room contained everything she needed; from book shelves to her bed that she brought here from her room back at her old house. Even the paint scheme was the same which Spencer had done herself just after moving in. In fact, half her old room was now currently in the new one though with some slightly newer stuff. There were various pictures on the walls with some that showed her and Toby as well as ones with her friends. She also had a few family pictures and even the second wedding when her parents redid their vows. That had been a happy day which had been a long time ago.

The weekend was coming up and she was tempted to take some time off and visit her mother as well as her sister in England. Her mother had relocated to be closer with Melissa and Wren after her father had died from a heart attack just a few years ago. The house was still owned by the family and Spencer was more than welcome to it back in Rosewood; but the young woman had opted to rent an apartment in Philadelphia to be closer to the local field office. Even though Aria and Ezra still lived in her hometown with their children, Rosewood still had too many bad memories.

After all, the Dollhouse had left too many scars.

Once the apartment was warm enough, Spencer got up from the bed and went straight to her shower. While the apartment had only one bedroom, it had the benefit of having a second bathroom connected to her room for herself while any guests could use the general one in the hallway. Of course, she rarely had guests other than Toby with that one time Alison had stayed over last year. The blonde had come back to the U.S. for family business and had only stayed one night. Hanna kept promising to come by but was still tied up with her own career in New York.

After she showered and was still wrapped in her white towel, Spencer went over to her closet and pulled out her work clothes. While most female agents work some sort of skirt for the office, she opted for a pantsuit since she often had to go out into the field. She had a variety of colors for her to choose from but often just went for the standard grey. Hanna had offered to help her shop for more stylish clothing but Spencer declined since her job was anything but glamorous. She hunted criminals for a living and there was no fashion involved.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she found it funny that other than the new short hair, her appearance had changed very little in the last ten years since Rosewood High. She was still thin and virtually gained no weight which had made Hanna jealous. In fact, Spencer had lost weight when she was in the academy and had been practically ordered eat more by her superiors. So she had developed a fondness for certain junk foods that she had avoided back in high school; mostly cheap breakfast sandwiches they sold at coffee shops. Even after all this time, coffee was her drug of choice and never went a day without it in her veins.

She dressed and then applied some makeup, just so that she could look professional, and then put on her work shoes. They were flats that worked well though she did had a few sets of heals in case of special occasions. She then walked into the small kitchen and grabbed the bread from the cupboard, putting a couple of slices into the toaster. While waiting for her toast to be done, Spencer poured herself a glass of orange juice and leaned against the counter. After her toast was done, she began to eat while watching the dark clouds gather outside.

Her apartment was only a ten minute drive from the field office so even if it rained, she wouldn't get too wet. Both her apartment building and the place where she work had their own parking garages which had worked out rather well when she had first picked out the building. The rent was a little higher than she would have wanted but since Spencer had a good means of income as well as plenty of money in her trust fund, finances were not a worry. Then again, Spencer never really had a problem worrying about money given the wealth of her family.

The apartment itself was fairly small but suited the young woman just fine. The kitchen was connected to the front room with only a counter to separate them; the front room was big enough though for a table to eat dinner at. There was a small bathroom with a toilet and sink in the main hallway; between her room and the front of the apartment. Across from that was a hall closet to store various things. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough space for a washer and dryer to do her cloths so she had to go down the hall to do her laundry; which wasn't too far away.

The apartment complex was located in a newer as well as higher end of the city so Spencer didn't have to worry about crime too much; though she made sure she was armed with her weapon at all times. Emily, before she had left to permanently stay with Paige in California, had helped her pick it out when Spencer decided not to move back into her parents' house after being assigned to Philadelphia once she graduated from the academy. Toby offered for them to move in together but she had declined since their jobs would have made things complicated.

Besides, Spencer had spent more time under someone else's roof that she wanted to be out on her own for a change.

Once she was done with her food, Spencer grabbed her jacket as well as her purse. She checked her weapon and placed it in the holster on her left hip; covering it up with her suit jacket. She also made sure to grab her badge since there had been times since she had been stopped by the local cops who had noticed the bump. Once she had everything, Spencer set the alarm code by the front door and made sure to lock up behind her. Even after all these years, she was still paranoid and made sure to spend the money to make sure her apartment was secure when she was gone; especially during extended periods of time.

Given that it was still early, Spencer didn't encounter any of her neighbors when leaving her apartment. In her paranoia, the young woman had made sure to check out every one of her neighbors just in case there was an issue. A few of them were college students who were trust fund children like herself and the rest were lawyers. Given that it was spring break at the local university, they were all gone to some beach while the lawyers worked odd times. While she was generally polite when in the hallway or doing her laundry, Spencer never bothered engaging in any conversations.

Her car was a new dodge that was automatic with some other cool features. It was blue, four door, and could handle any environment that she had to deal with. Though it was rare for Spencer to travel out of the area, she liked to be prepared since the agency's vehicles were either hit or miss depending on where you were in the hierarchy. Given that Spencer was fairly low on the totem pole, she just didn't want to take the chance and made sure to register her car with the agency; they even gave her a light in case of official business. She never had to use it yet but it was a nice gesture.

There was very little traffic in her part of town and she headed to the FBI field office with no problems at all. Spencer was tempted to stop and get some coffee but a new bistro had opened up inside her building itself; part of some new refit for the busier agents. Word was that the owner had greased some wheels in Washington so that they could be allowed to open the chain within the FBI buildings themselves. They were only allowed on the ground floor only but that didn't stop them from being a popular spot for break times. The fact that they featured a food menu sweetened the deal and even Spencer had most of her lunches there.

Showing her badge to the front gate as well as having her fingerprint scanned, Spencer was waved in with no problems and went straight to her parking space. The garage was large enough that every agent, even the lowest of ones, had an assigned parking spot. Spencer's was a ways away from the main elevator but she was still glad that she didn't have to fight for a spot like she did back during high school; which was why she often carpooled with one of her friends back then or was dropped off by her parents. After parking her car and locking it behind her, she walked for about five minutes to the elevator.

After waiting another minute, Spencer walked into the elevator and headed up to her floor.

When Spencer first mentioned that she was going into law enforcement, her mother and Melissa had freaked. It had been expected that she would go into the family trade like Melissa had and be a lawyer; even taking a spot at her mother's firm when she had graduated law school. After the Hell of the Dollhouse and the revealing of Charles as A, Spencer had decided to make a new career choice to make sure that no one would go through what she did. Surprisingly, her father stuck up for her and convinced everyone else that it was a good idea. He had even called in a few favors so that Spencer could get in after graduating Rosewood High.

After the summer of graduation, Spencer had gone straight into the academy after excelling her admittance tests. While there, the young woman had been nearly at the top of her class and focused on murder crimes while most of her peers went for the spots on terrorism for the overseas assignments. After graduating a few years later with excellent marks, she had been assigned a post locally as either involved in serial cases or as a liaison with the State Police on various cases. By then, Tanner had poached Toby from the Rosewood Police Department and Spencer had got to see him more though they never worked a case together.

The door of the elevator opened for her floor and Spencer walked out to head to her cubical.

The young woman still retained some of her quirks since childhood; especially her attention to cleanliness. Her cubicle was always well kept and everything was where it should be. Since she was at the end, she shared a wall with a fellow agent who was out for vacation and was blessed with a good amount of privacy. She had a single work computer, metal desks for storing her stuff, and a double black filing cabinet to store her paperwork. The white desk was the only thing out of color with the rest of the cubicle but spencer couldn't care less.

Besides her computer and office things, she had a few pictures of her with Toby, family, as well as one with all of her friends together. There was even a picture of them all together one last time before graduation; something that would probably never happen again given that there was now a rift with certain members of the group though Spencer herself didn't have any issues with her friends. It was amazing on how a single mistake could cause so much damage; which Aria still paid for to this day in regards to her relationship with her brother.

Pulling out the paperwork she was behind on, Spencer booted up her computer and began filling forms out while she waited.

The last case had left quite a bit of stuff to fill out due to the incompetence of the local authorities. Spencer had luckily managed to avoid any blame for what had happened as well as the other agents involved in the case but there was still plenty of fallout to deal with. The suspect had ended up dead and the hostage was wounded, although not as serious thankfully. Now everyone at the top wanted to know what had exactly happened thus Spencer had to file reports with a several departments; which she hated doing since they all required different means of being placated.

"Spencer? Assistant-Director Ashford wants you in his office," stated a passing Agent, shaking the young woman from her focus. Putting everything down, she quickly headed to her boss's office which towered overhead. Once she was outside his door, she knocked and waited for his response before entering inside.

Her boss was at least two decades older than Spencer as had no hair on his head. He was tall, clean shaven, and had blue eyes. His blue suit lacked any wear and was always similar every time she saw him. Rumor was that he was divorced and completely devoted to his work; though he was still polite with everyone and treated all the agents under him well. Usually, Spencer received her assignments through her e-mail and other proxies; thus this was the first time she had been to his office since first being placed in this department a few years ago.

"You asked to see me sir?" Spencer inquired as she stood formally in front of Director Ashford's desk.

"Yes I did; there's been a situation in one of the Federal Buildings in Brookhaven. A body has been found on site and the State Police need help liaising with the building's staff given that they are Federal Officials. I want you to work with the State Police to make sure that there are no complications," Ashford said as he leaned back against his chair. Like spencer, he seemed to be in the middle of his own pile of paperwork which made sense given the responsibilities that he had.

"Yes sir; I'll leave right away," Spencer said as she turned to leave. While she hated getting behind on her stack of paperwork, an assignment was always welcomed.

"Also, I've read your report about what happened with the last assignment and I've recommended a citation for you; good job," he stated and smiled at her.

"But everything went wrong sir," said the young woman, surprised that she would get praise after what had happened.

"But it wasn't your fault and did everything you could to keep the dirt out of the Agency's eye; you do good work and your service is appreciated here," stated the older man and Spencer smiled in thanks. He then motioned for her to get going so she quickly left the office and back to her cubical.

Once she was at her cubicle, Spencer put everything back where it should be and shut off her computer. She then made sure she had her service weapon as well as her other identification papers. Once she was set, she made her way to the elevator to head to her car. Everyone was starting to trickle in and Spencer had the feeling that because she was the senior agent at the time, that was the reason why she got the assignment. That was fine with her since liked to be out more in the field than stuck behind a desk. Spencer joined the FBI to stop crime and not do paperwork for hours on end.

The drive to Brookhaven wasn't much of an issue and it had been quite a few years since she had last been in the town. Aria and Ezra had been married in Brookhaven out at one of the farms that had been rented for the occasion. It had been an interesting affair since there had been tension because of what had happened in the aftermath of A's demise. Aria had been angry with Alison but had invited her to the wedding anyways even though her own brother hadn't shown up. While she never asked her friend why, Spencer got the impression that Aria had only invited Alison to remind her of the rift she had caused between the siblings.

It took less than an hour for Spencer to arrive in Brookhaven and she immediately headed to the Federal Building there. Technically, the town was too small to sport its own Federal Building but given that the Government was spreading its eggs because of Terrorism, it got one to take the pressure off of the larger cities. The building was located on the edge of town where it had taken over after a law firm had left. The only agencies that were in the building had to deal with environmental and agriculture thus civil only; which was why the FBI had to be called.

Driving into the parking lot, Spencer immediately saw the news vans everywhere as well as the State Police. After leaving her car and locking it, the young woman made her way to the police tape and showed her id to the officer manning the perimeter. After checking her id, he waved her through and courteously held the tape up for her to move past. She ten made her way into the building after flashing her badge to a few more State Police Troopers. Given the amount of officers she had seen so far, Spencer was under the impression that something was up.

Following the trail of officials, Spencer entered the offices where the EPA was located and caught the sight of something peculiar. There was various crime scene personnel taking pictures of a young woman arranged in one of the chairs in the waiting room. Spencer slowly walked up and stared at the body since it seemed hauntingly familiar. The way the body was dressed reminded Spencer of something but she couldn't place it. As she moved closer but still out of the way, she heard footsteps from behind.

"Spencer?" asked a familiar voice from behind and Spencer whipped around quickly to see a person she knew quite well.

It was Toby.

**Please Read and Review; also a special thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read and you should check out her fics!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Spencer was surprised to see her boyfriend at the crime scene.

Especially since when it came to murders, Tanner always kept him pretty close to the office in case it was something big.

After the girls had escaped from the Dollhouse with the true identity of A, Toby had been at the forefront of the investigation along with Tanner. The rookie officer had become the right hand man of the State Police Sargent, replacing Holbrooke after he had become corrupted because of his illicit relationship with Alison. He had also been there to speak up against the girls during their mistake; which led to a brief breakup with Spencer though they had gotten back together once they realized they had screwed up. This earned him a lot of respect with Tanner who then got him a job with the State Police after everything was resolved. 

Unlike back during high school when Toby was with the Rosewood Police Department, his job with the State Police did not make their relationship complicated. In fact, when Spencer joined the FBI, things seemed to get easier because they were on the same page for once; with the young woman understanding how the system works. While they were still planning on getting married at some point, knowing full well that they were soul mates, both were focused on their careers at the moment. Hanna constantly teased Spencer about it though Aria seemed to understand.

"What are you doing here?" Toby asked, clearly surprised to see his girlfriend here at his crime scene; looking formal at that.

"Someone called the FBI because of a body found here; they sent me," Spencer answered as she smiled at the young man. She would have embraced him but this was a crime scene and this was not the time.

"I did but I didn't believe that they would send you," said her boyfriend quizzing and Spencer thought that he was mocking her.

"Are you saying that I shouldn't be here?" Spencer inquired, her tone sounding angry though she kept her face neutral and narrowed her eyes.

"No; I am just curious since we have always gotten the same agent in the past and this seems a little beneath your skills," the young man said defensively, trying to placate her.

"I can do boring as well Toby; besides, this gets me away from all of the paperwork," the FBI Agent said as she turned her attention back at the body.

From first glance, Spencer could tell that the body was placed here on purpose; especially since the victim had been posed for full display. The young woman, who looked like she was in her college years, was outfitted in a red and black dress with her body perfectly placed in a sitting position on the bench in front of the receptionist window. She was short, had pale skin, and long black hair that didn't look like it was her natural color. Moving in closer, Spencer looked at the roots of the victim's hair and had her theory confirmed when seeing the brown roots.

"What have you guys found so far?" Spencer asked her boyfriend as she joined her side to study the victim as the medical examiner was doing her job.

"No signs of how she died physically though they found multiple injection marks on her arms. They won't know until they have her back at the lab; the local police have ceded this case to us and other than you, no one else on the Federal level has shown up yet," Toby answered with his face grim. He hated murder investigations since they were always complicated; reminding him of what happened in his earlier years.

"No ID on the victim?" the young Agent asked and Toby shook his head. Spencer was about to ask another question when she spotted another State Police official talking to one of the employees.

"Is that Mike?" Spencer asked, shock to see the younger man as he appeared to be writing down what the woman he was interviewing was saying. Her boyfriend nodded and Spencer was practically gaping.

"Tanner assigned him to me a couple of weeks ago; I was going to tell you but wasn't sure how given everything that happened," Toby stated, almost apologetically since the couple did their best not to keep any secrets from one another.

"I didn't even realize he was back in the country since Aria never said anything," said the young woman as she studied him. Mike Montgomery looked the same though a little more bulky from his muscles; which he probably got when he was in the army.

"She might not even know; I got the impression that they still weren't speaking," said the young man as he glanced over at the body. He was waiting for the medical examiner to be finished so he could get a closer look at the corpse.

"They're not but I would have though he would at least let his own family know he was back in town. How did he get a job with the State?" inquired Spencer as she looked back at Toby, curious for the answer.

"Mike was an MP and applied once he left the service so Tanner snatched him up before someone at the Federal level could grab him first. According to his file, he was rather good at his job so she decided to give him to me so that I could train him," informed Toby as he glanced at his partner. He was nervous about Mike and Spencer meeting since the younger man was still holding a grudge after all this time.

"Has he been spiteful towards you?" Spencer asked, wondering if Mike was still angry after all of these years.

"No; but Mike was never angry at me about what happened. From what I can tell, he is still at you so please take it easy with him. He'll act professionally but I can't risk any problems," the State Police officer advised and Spencer nodded. After he was done, Mike made his way to the pair to let Toby know what the employee had said.

"So she doesn't know how the body came to be here since the doors were still locked after everyone left last night. There's been to tampering with the security system so there is a chance that we are looking at an inside job though I don't think that is the case," Mike informed the senior officer while ignoring Spencer. Under normal circumstances, she would have been offended but this was hardly normal.

"Why not?" asked Spencer though she already knew the answer. She was curious to why the younger man thought as he did. When he appeared to be ignoring her, Toby spoke up.

"Respect the office; answer her question," Toby ordered with slight sternness since his partner was being impolite.

"An employee wouldn't risk being found out through our sweep given the posing of the body; knowing that we would be thorough in going through the records of everyone who works in the building. He or she went through a lot of trouble setting the victim up like that so that tells me that our perpetrator is making a statement," Mike stated and Spencer nodded in admiration since it was a well thought out observation.

"Unless the perpetrator deliberately did that to throw us off our guard so that we would look elsewhere; this could be all a ruse," Toby said and both nodded in agreement.

"It sounds like you guys aren't having issues or are there people not talking to you?" Spencer inquired since she wasn't seeing how her presence was needed.

"The security people are being a hassle upstairs; there were two of them running the shift last night and they keep saying that they have to check with their superiors before answering any of our questions," Mike informed with a glare and Spencer couldn't tell if he was mad about the issues he was having or if it was intended for her.

"I'll go talk to them; if the killer got in with the body without them knowing then either they are being too prideful that their system was hacked or there was incompetence somewhere," stated the young FBI Agent since she had seen this kind of think before with security people at Federal Offices. More than likely the two guards that had worked the nightshift had been distracted by something and had not paid attention to the cameras.

"Thank you; go with her while I talk to Tanner to let her know what is up," Toby ordered Mike and the young man gave him a slight glare before nodding. Both Spencer and Mike then walked away towards the security office.

Spencer was tempted to talk to the man beside her as they silently headed towards their destination but thought better of it. Even after all of these years, it was more than obvious that Mike Montgomery still harbored a serious grudge against her and her friends after what had happened with A; reminding her that the mistake they had all made was still on his mind since it had cost him the love of his life. Even Aria was ignored by her own brother and the two hadn't talked in years; communicating only through their parents. Spencer was tempted to ask if Mike had heard from the victim of their mistake though she doubted it; when Mona vanished, she told no one where she was going.

Supposedly, not even her own mother if the rumors were true.

The security office was located at the top floor of the building according to Toby; which was something that seemed not only unusual but impractical as well. By being on the top floor, it meant that the security staff, especially at night, would be slow to stop a break in and go after the assailant; which was why it should be on the bottom floor to be the first line of defense. This told Spencer that either the people who renovated the building were incompetent, or were just lazy since they probably forgot all about security. Since the elevators were still down, both she and Mike had to take the stairs.

"No surveillance cameras; I wonder if our assailant knew that when he or she brought the body into the building?" Spencer mused out loud; hoping for a response from the young man next to her.

"Maybe; this might play in our favor since it meant that he/she possibly scouted out this location before planning the dump. We might be able to get something off the cameras in the front of the building," Mike answered professionally and not completely unfriendly.

Spencer motioned with her head that she agreed and the two reached the top floor; noting that there was a ladder to reach the roof which seemed like another odd construction choice for the building. Entering the floor, the duo walked down the barren hallway where it seemed that there was nothing but empty offices which was a little surprising since every Federal Building Spencer had ever been in always seemed crowded; some even being packed to the point where two or more people shared the same space. The security headquarters was located at the end of the hall and the two just walked inside without even bothering to knock.

From first glance, it was clear that the people who ran security for the building were anything but professional. The three young men, two a bit overweight with two Caucasians and one Asian, who were manning the controls looked like they were working at a fast food joint rather than making sure the building was secure from intruders. None of them had their blue shirts tucked in, or even washed since they had highly visible stains, and their workspaces were a pigsty with crumbs as well as other junk. In fact, their workstations looked away from the camera monitors which meant that anyone could slip in if security wasn't paying attention. If this place ever had a surprise assessment form the Inspector General, they'd fail in a heartbeat.

"Can we help you?" asked the chunkiest of the security officers asked, a little too testy for Spencer's taste. The name on the tag on his uniform said that his identity was Davis.

"I understand that there is a problem with cooperating with the investigating authorities downstairs?" Spencer inquired as she showed her badge. This had an apparent reaction as the three looked at one another in nervousness as well as Davis clearing his throat.

"They are asking for our security tapes and other records but that has to be cleared with the main office in Philadelphia; which I tried to explain," answered Davis as professionally as he could. He was lying though since Spencer knew the regulations for situations like these by heart since they often came up with her duties.

"Except in the case of extraordinary cases such as murder; which this clearly is," Spencer pointed out chidingly, motioning to the screens that showed the crime scene. From the look of it, there was no way that the assailant could have been missed in placing the body.

"We don't know this is a murder," one of the other security officers brought up; a man named Perkins who looked way too thin which told Mike that he could be a drug user.

"Look at the body; not only is she dead, but someone posed her as well. What I want to know is how you missed her appearing there?" Mike asked, his tone indicating that he was clearly suspicious of the three with Spencer looking like she agreed with him. This seemed to break the trio since they started stuttering.

"The cameras were out; we didn't see a thing," Perkins stated quickly as if it were an excuse; the other two men nodded in agreement.

"So why didn't you go and check what was wrong? All the cameras going out at that specific place should have signaled that something was wrong," Spencer pressed, finding their excuse disgusting.

"The cameras have gone out before; in other places. We figured that there was a bug in the system since we never found anything suspicious at the locations. So when the cameras went out for a few hours last night, we figured nothing was wrong," Davis admitted, just shrugging his shoulders.

"Every time a particular area went out, did you run a sweep of the location?" asked Mike as a though entered his mind. Spencer was also curious since she had a good idea where the young man was going with the question.

"The first two times we did; after that, we just chucked it up to something in the system and stopped since they always came back online later," the third man in the trio stated, an Asian named Shinji.

"Sounds like our perpetrator was testing them," Spencer said to Mike and he stayed silent though there was a motion of his head that he agreed with her.

"What do you mean?" asked Perkins, who like his fellow security officers, was clearly confused and didn't understand what Spencer meant.

"What she means was that whoever dumped the body was the one knocking out your cameras to see how you responded. Have you noticed that you've been hacked?" inquired the State Police Official and sighing since it appeared that the trio didn't get what he was talking about.

Not bothering to ask, Mike shoved past them and went to the main security terminal. Sitting in the chair, he began typing which earned a protest from Perkins; who was shushed into silence by a glare from Spencer. The FBI Agent was surprised that Mike looked like he had gotten to know computers well since the last time she had seen him. Either he made a point to learn when he was in the Army or Mona had taught him a few things when they still had been dating. Either way, Mike knew what he was doing and just typed away. After a few minutes, it appeared that he found something.

"Their system has been hacked and for some time too. Since no one bothered to install or maintain the security software, anyone from the outside would have no problem getting in," Mike informed the group, turning to glare at the group. Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed a USB drive and hooked it into the computer. After downloading everything he needed, He put the drive back into his pocket and walked out of the office without another word.

"If I were you guys, I would straighten up since a surprise inspection might just happen," Spencer threatened before chasing after Mike. She vowed to give the Inspector General Department a call later to tip them off about what she had found.

"What did you find?" Spencer asked the young man once she caught up to him and was alongside him as they headed back to the crime scene.

"There were two hackers; one of which was in the system as we were talking to those incompetent losers," Mike answered and the young woman nearly stopped clear in her tracks in surprise.

"Are you sure? How do you know it wasn't the same perpetrator?" inquired the young woman, more curious than anything else.

"Like Serial Killers, Hackers have their own unique signature and there were two different ones in the system though I couldn't neither trace it back to the source," Mike simply answered and kept quiet after that. While Spencer wanted to know more, it was clear that she would have to hope that he would divulge more to Toby that could be overheard. The two met Toby as he was walking towards them and away from the crime scene; he didn't look happy which Spencer knew immediately by his demeanor.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked and Mike also was curious as well.

"Tanner just called; apparently this might be a Serial in the making and wants us back to give her the details," Toby answered and Mike nodded while Spencer raised her eyebrows.

"Did you need anything more from me; I could help," Spencer stated and Toby considered her words while his partner just glared.

"I am not sure; come with us and we'll talk to Tanner together since we might find more bodies in Federal locations," said her boyfriend and Spencer went off to call her boss. Mike didn't look happy at that; though Toby knew that he would have to get used to it since this could only be the beginning.

And he was right.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Toby kissed his girlfriend goodbye.

They were in an isolated location of his workplace in order to keep their little display of affection from his fellow officers.

Even after ten years since the end of high school, their relationship was still solid as a rock though a bit complicated at times. Caleb often teased him on his lack of proposing to Spencer after all this time; which he responded that they were taking their time since they were establishing their careers. Veronica had taken a more serious tone but with them still living apart, she kept her distance from getting involved. Other than a few teasing statements though, the rest of the gang were too focused on their own lives.

Truthfully, Toby had been glad that Spencer had taken up law enforcement instead of becoming a lawyer; going against her parents though they eventually gave their support. After so much time of them being at odds when dealing with A, having her on his side of the fence and understanding the system was beneficial so that she would not make the same mistakes. A lot of people suffered, and continue to suffer, keeping the secret of what A was doing to everyone; proving that secrets could hurt people. Like Spencer, he wanted to make sure nothing like that ever happened again.

"So I'll see you in a bit?" Spencer asked as she composed herself and placed her purse over her shoulder.

"Yeah; I'll come over right after Mike and I check with the coroner since she should be calling soon," Toby answered as he looked at his watch.

It had been a few hours since they had arrived at the State Police Headquarters and the three immediately met with Captain Tanner to discuss the situation. Given the way that the body was displayed and the possible taunting because of where it was found, it was suggested that this might be the start of a Serial. Given that there was a lack of manpower at the moment; Toby was given the case along with his partner with Spencer being the support from the FBI. It had been cleared with both their bosses so they had free reign unless things escalated.

"I'll see you then," said his girlfriend and she then headed down the hall to head back to where she worked to give her boss a report. After she had left, he turned to head back to where he left Mike.

Given the number of years that he worked under Tanner, Toby had gotten the benefit of having his own office; which he now shared with his partner. He didn't mind though since it was large enough for the two without being in each other's way; though Mike didn't take up much space since he was used to it after being in the military. Mike had taken a small corner of the office and didn't have much to display unlike Toby who had pictures of the various people in his life on his desk. Though he tried to make his workspace as homely as possible, Mike seemed to do the exact opposite with him being nothing but professional.

When Tanner first assigned Mike to Toby, he had been a little apprehensive given their history as well as the current grudge he had with his girlfriend. Since he had a hand at clearing Mona when she had been wrongfully imprisoned for helping Charles, Mike held no ill will towards Toby which made their partnership a bit easier. Even though they had only worked together for a very short while, they seemed to be getting along and Mike listened to him without objection as well as asked the right questions. It helped that the younger man had experience when he was a MP back in the army.

Toby opened the office door, which had his and Mike's name on it, and found his partner on his laptop typing away. The one thing his partner always made sure to do when he got back to the office was to make sure all of the paperwork he was responsible for was complete. It had both impressed him and Tanner since everyone else was often behind. Walking over to his desk, Toby booted up his own computer though Mike used his own though it had been vetted for work. Since he was still waiting for the call from the medical examiner, he thought he would get some of his own paperwork done.

"So will we see her often or just at the crime scenes?" Mike asked in a neutral tone, still hunched over his laptop. It wasn't a hostile tone of voice but Toby could sense the slight anger in it.

"Yes; is that going to be a problem?" the older man asked, glancing over at Mike with his eyebrows raised.

"No," he simply answered and continued to work in silence. Toby quietly sighed but knew that Mike would be professional when it came to Spencer given his military background.

From what little Toby had gathered about his partner, Mike stayed mostly to himself though he was living with his parents currently. Since he spent most of his time in the office, Mike had very little contact with his family which often worried Toby since he was afraid that Mike might have PTSD of some sorts; though he was never in any conflict. However, he was assured though proper channels that his partner was all there in the head and not a worry; just still holding a grudge because of what happened all of those years ago with Mona.

It was unfortunate that, that was the case since the girls were still paying for what happened back then. The mistake had caused such a rift for years that it was still being felt to this day; with Hanna and Aria refusing to have anything to do with Alison. Emily never ventured to Rosewood unless she absolutely had to and Hanna had long abandoned the town after her mother married Pastor Ted with them moving to Africa to become Missionaries. Aria was the only one who stayed, becoming a teacher and living with Ezra; even having twins. Like he, Caleb hated the rift and often remarked on trying to organize some sort of reconciliation though that would never happen.

"Have you ever investigated something like this before?" Mike asked after a few minutes of silence between the two.

"No; not since the incident with Charles all those years ago," Toby answered as he glanced over at his partner from his computer. While he had dealt with more than a few murders, there had been nothing on this scale; though it was just one victim so far.

"Charles only killed one person though and that was his own mother; that wasn't a Serial like this could be," countered the younger partner, who was there back then as well.

"Charles was a Serial though just not a killer like this person appears to be. Once the medical examiner identifies the body, we'll have somewhere to start," stated the older officer as he looked over at the clock on the wall. Unlike his desk that pictures of family and friends, his walls were barren except for a single clock that had been there when he first moved in.

His cell phone went off and Toby took it off the desk to answer it while Mike continued to type away.

"Coroner is waiting for us," stated the senior officer and they both got up to head downstairs where the morgue was located.

The State Police Headquarters was located in an office building that originally belonged to the ATF. It lay a few miles away from where Spencer worked which made the commute easier for them if they had to coordinate things. The added benefit of being in the building was that it was entirely self-sufficient which meant that anything the State Police needed in regards to doing their jobs was in the building; including an advanced crime lab. Heading straight to the elevator down the hall, they proceeded to the morgue which was located on the bottom floor.

"Did you tell Spencer about my side hobby?" Mike asked suddenly, catching the older man by surprise as they stood in the elevator.

"No and I don't plan to. All I ask is that you work with Spencer and try to get along with her for the sake of the case," Toby pressed and Mike indicated that he understood.

"Thank you," Mike said and Toby nodded though he was curious, deciding to ask Mike about it given that it was the right opportunity.

"Have you had any luck locating her?" inquired the young man since Mike devoted every amount of free time he had to this mission.

When Mike had first been assigned to Toby, he had caught the young man devoting police resources to locating Mona; trying to find her after all of these years. At first, he thought about telling his partner to stop but decided to give him his blessing as long as he kept it quiet; Toby wasn't a stickler for the rules on certain things. Besides, he felt that it was owed to his partner after what had happened with Mona; mostly for his girlfriend, since Spencer still harbored some guilt after what had happened back then. Listening to Alison had cost the group a lot and even the blonde herself was forced into a slight exile because of it.

When the girls had been first freed after escaping the Dollhouse from a week of horror, they had spent some time in therapy as well as focused on dealing with A once and for all. Since Mona had been alive all along, Alison had also been freed from the prison she had been sent to; though also had been changed because of the experience. Charles had used this to convince the Blonde that Mona had been working with him all along; which had been a total lie since she had gone through Hell as his Alison Clone. Alison, not thinking straight and filled with revenge, convinced the others that Mona was the enemy.

At graduation, Mona had been arrested in full view of the town for being an accomplice to A; screaming her protests all the way to the back of the police car. The evidence against her had been so easy to believe that Toby suspected it was faked and nearly lost everything himself to prove that Mona was innocent when Mike, as well as her own mother believed it. Working with her in jail, Toby was able to convince Tanner of the truth which occurred at the same time the girls had uncovered and trapped Charles. After he had been caught and imprisoned for life, Mona had been freed.

Sadly, Mona was in no mood for any apologies and left town after giving a scathing interview to the press about what she had experienced. After realizing that Alison had schemed to get Mona in jail because of own anger, Hanna and Aria cut off all contact with their former friend while the other two girls stuck with Alison out of slight understanding; especially since Spencer believed that Mona had been the villain so easily. Mike, stopped talking to his sister and had to attend therapy because of his rage; which seemed to have been burned out during his time in the military.

"No; she isn't in the system and I don't think she is even in the State anymore," Mike answered and the disappointment was quite evident in his voice.

"Mona had always been good at hiding; just be patient. You have to know though that she might not want to be found and might be with someone now," Toby said which was understandable given that it has been ten years since anyone last saw Mona.

"I know; I just want to tell her that I am sorry for what happened and that I should have believed in her," stated the young man as the elevator beeped and the doors opened.

"Well I hope you get that chance; I think a few others would like to say their sorry as well," the older man commented as they walked down the hall to the double doors were.

They ceased their conversation as soon as they passed the double doors into a colder environment than they had just come from. The morgue was always so dark and sterile; giving Mike the creeps given the death that was all around him. It was a large area with numerous metal tables to operate as well as machines to collect and detail evidence. As soon as the two entered the room, there was only a single light on; overlooking the body that was on the metal slab in the center of the room. A single elderly female doctor was working on the corpse; who was thankfully covered in a white sheet so not to display her recently cut open body.

"Hey Margery; how are you?" Toby asked as he and Mike stood there near where she was working. Mike looked squeamish as the corpse's heart was sitting on a scale near where the two were standing.

"Not doing too badly Pretty Eyes; is this your new partner?" asked the woman as she began to sew up the young woman on the slab.

"Uh…yes; Mike, this is Doctor Margery Tompkins. She is our head medical examiner," Toby introduced given that this was his partner's first visit down here.

"Nice to meet you," Mike politely said, almost extending his hand before realizing that there was no way for her to shake it. Though she was covered from head to toe in medical garb, Mike could see that the woman was older than he was, had dark skin, and wore glasses. She was also very short and was standing on top of a step ladder in order to work on the body.

"And you too Hon; quite the story this girl has," the medical examiner stated as she finished her sewing and stretched her body after all that leaning.

"Have you identified her yet?" Toby inquired as he handed Margery the trash to throw her gloves in.

"Yes; Alice Buto, age twenty and a student at the college here in town. No living family and has a roommate who reported her missing after she never arrived back from a trip to Florida," informed the older woman as she moved the monitor to show the two police officers the data about the victim.

"Well I suppose that is a plus," Mike remarked which earned a glare from the medical examiner, with her hands placed on her hips.

"Come again?" asked Dr. Tompkins with anger evident in her voice.

"I've had to break news to parents and family members about the deaths of loved ones back in the military. While it sucks that she doesn't have any family, at least there isn't anyone to mourn her," the younger man simply said which earned a nod from the medical examiner though Toby just sighed at the coldness of the statement.

"I suppose that is one way to look at it; but everyone who sits on my table is mourned by someone so remember that Officer Montgomery," chastened the Doctor and he nodded, properly humbled.

"Did you find out how she died?" Toby asked, getting things back to the matter at hand.

"She was poisoned with some sort of odorless gas; a combination of ammonia and chlorine which was simple but effective. Her hair though was dyed before that and I found trauma in her ear drums which told me that she was subjected to some sort of high leveled noise over a period of time. Other than that, it looks like she was healthy at the time of her death other than a high sugar level though nothing that could be a risk of diabetes," stated the older woman as she took a sip of water from her bottle.

"So maybe she was kept somewhere and forced to do something; possibly playing dress up for some psychopath," suggested Mike and Toby seemed to think about that.

"It makes sense; though was Alice alone or are there others? We have to head to the victim's home to see if there are any clues in the morning," stated the older police officer, looking at the time and realizing that it was too late to do it tonight.

"Because our perpetrator might have been stalking the victim since he or she knew when to grab Alice," Mike said, getting what his partner was saying.

"Exactly; go home and get some rest since we are going to be busy tomorrow," Toby ordered and Mike then left to do just that.

"Are you going to bring your lady friend along for the ride?" Dr. Tompkins inquired as she raised an eyebrow at the younger man.

"I am guessing that the news about that is already out" Toby stated dryly while the older woman chuckled.

"Of course; though I heard your partner isn't fond of her," the older woman stated and Toby just sighed at that.

"Yeah well Mike knows his job and will work with her. I just hope that we can find this person quickly since more bodies might cause a panic," said the officer.

"Well I am sorry to say that killers who display their bodies like the young woman here never stop with just one. I have a bad feeling that she will the first of many unless you put a stop to it," Dr. Tompkins stated, pressing the point.

Toby had a feeling that she was right.

**Please Read and Review; also a big thanks to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read and you should check out her stories as well as those from "the queen of slurking"**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Mike did his best to keep his face blank.

This was hard to do given the person who was in the backseat of the car while his partner was driving them to the victim's residence.

It had been obvious that Toby had spent the night with his girlfriend when Mike had been picked up at the office. The fact that the two had arrived in the same car so early as well as that she immediately got into the backseat as soon as they arrived told him that he never went home last night. That didn't bother him so much as that he wasn't told about the third wheel tagging along in their investigation; though he probably would have stayed silent about the whole thing. As long as Toby was his partner, Mike would have to get used to the fact that Spencer would be a presence in his life.

While Mike had nothing but respect for his partner, his general dislike of Spencer would always be there. He had done so much to never speak to any of the girls again after leaving Rosewood for the military all those years ago, thinking that it would last forever. His trips home while on leave always coincided with not having to be in Aria's presence, which saddened his parents given that they were siblings, and he made sure that he was always at work until he was able to get his own place away from Rosewood. Having to work with Spencer was harder than being back in basic as well as working as an MP before his discharge.

Of course, Spencer was the one he disliked the most given what had happened. The fact that everyone had listened to her when she backed up Alison's claim that Mona had been working with Charles made him all the angrier; especially since he also had believed her. Given that Alison had stabbed Spencer in the back, no one would believe that she would be fooled by the blonde so easily so everyone believed the lie and Mona had paid for it. He had bought what his sister and Spencer had said, betraying the person who had put so much trust in him and lost her when she left town.

His only consolation was that the lie had scarred the friendship the girls and Alison which would never recover. The last year of high school had been quite eventful with Alison basically forced out of town by Leona Vanderwaal after she launched a lawsuit against the blonde for the false imprisonment of her daughter. Aria and Hanna had stopped talking to Alison before the blonde had left for France with even some tension between the four girls themselves for most of the summer; though they reconciled just before Emily left for California to be with Paige. From what he had heard from Lucas, Alison had not stepped foot in Rosewood since she had left and was more unpopular than ever in town; becoming a local bogeyman of sorts.

That had brought a smile to his face when he had heard it.

Mike had never gotten the chance to apologize to Mona for betraying her; with her leaving town before he could even get a chance to see her. The interview she gave to the media after she was released, which he wasn't mentioned in, basically scathed the entire town as well as revealed some pretty dark secrets that more than a few people wanted to stay hidden. Because of Mona, the town knew all about Jessica DiLaurentis's many affairs, that Charles of was Peter Hasting's son, Alison blinding Jenna, and even various men that Alison had dated; some of whom were quite a bit older than the blonde. In Mona's wake, there were a lot of embarrassed people in town that had to make a run for it; including the entire DiLaurentis Clan.

He had tried to get a message to Mona through her mother but even she did not know where her daughter had gone. Leona had informed him that her daughter was angry with her and hoped that she would forgive her one day so any attempt at communication was impossible. Mike had no contact with Mona's mother for years and had been tempted to contact her since she still lived in the same house; chickening out because he was too afraid to screw things up between mother and daughter. Instead, Mike decided to hunt for Mona on his own and find some way of getting back into her heart; or at least find out if she is happy.

As they neared the victim's residence, it was apparent that the young woman had lived in the more modest section of town. Alice's finances had not revealed much about her spending habits with only a few credit cards and enough to live on in the bank. All of her transactions displayed nothing unusual and were of food as well as the normal bills of someone living in the city. If Alice had any hobbies, she paid in cash though no withdrawals were indicated at first glance. They were now hoping that the residence would provide clues on the victim's final days and who maybe could have murdered her.

"So her roommate will be there waiting for us?" Spencer asked from the backseat in an attempt to end the silence that was driving her insane.

"Yes; her roommate, whose name is Tasha Lamont, said that she didn't have school or work today so she will be there to let us in," answered Mike politely from the passenger seat. It irked him to have to answer her but as Toby said, he had to show respect to the office.

"Well I checked the FBI Database last night and Alice is nowhere in the system that warranted suspicion. I also looked to see if there were any deaths with similar MO's and nothing came up so if this is a Serial, then this is the first victim," Spencer informed the two young men. The thought that were more deaths like this to come filled her with dread.

"If this is a Serial; we might be looking at something that someone she knew is using to draw us away from him or her," Mike countered, not ready to believe this was a Serial killing until a second body shows up. He had seen similar things like this in the past as an MP so he was reluctant to jump on the Serial Killer train unlike his fellow officers.

"That could be; but the perpetrator went to a lot of trouble to display the body like that at the Federal Building in Brookhaven. If that was to throw us off the trail of him or her knowing the victim, it would have been less risky to just dump the body somewhere and accomplish the same goal," Toby stated, speaking up before Spencer and his partner had to concede the point.

"Did you find anything on the surveillance tapes or any trace of the hackers?" inquired the young woman, changing the subject for what they actually knew.

"We're still looking though there are potentially hours of footage to go through; even going back months since we don't know how long ago our assailant scouted out the location to display the body. As for the hacking, I am also still going through the data and no luck; though it is definitely two different signatures," Mike answered with some hesitation. As good as he had gotten over the years, he was still a newbie in some areas of computer hacking.

"Did you guys need help? My evening is free," Spencer said and had no problem looking at tapes for hours on end since it would make her feel useful. She already had clearance from her boss and Tanner to work the case.

"That sounds good; we'll tackle it tonight while Mike handles the computer end," Toby said before Mike could speak up. While Mike wasn't happy to have Spencer spend the evening going over evidence with the, better she than he when it came to those surveillance tapes.

After another minute, the three arrived at the victim's residence; an apartment complex that looked to be well kept. The building had a fresh coat of blue paint and there were various shrubberies lining the perimeter of the complex. All that could be seen were windows which indicated that the entrances to the individual apartments were located on the inside and the vehicles for residents located in an underground parking garage; a norm for this city. Seeing a free space on the street, Toby parking the car and placed his tag indicating that this was a police vehicle to avoid and problems. The three then walked across the street to where the complex's entrance was; a pair of double doors with a clean glass window in the middle.

"Nice place" Mike commented as he looked around once they were inside. He made a mental note to see if there were any vacancies while he was here given that he was looking for his own place. Mike had saved quite a bit of money over the years so finances were not an issue when it came to renting a place on his own.

"Probably pricy though; which explains the roommate. I see cameras so we will have to get tapes from the manager on our way out," Toby said as he spotted the globes in the ceiling. Everything had cameras now for security; which was either a good or bad thing depending on who you asked.

"As well as who has been in and out of the building other than the people who lived here; which they hopefully have records of. If out assailant is a Serial, he or she might have been stalking the victim," Spencer said which earned a motion of agreement from her fellow companions.

The apartment was on the second floor but since the elevators were out for some reason, the three were forced to take the stairs. While they traveled up the staircase which seemed to have cameras as well, they passed various people; mostly younger men and women heading to school for the day. Since Spencer had gone straight to the academy after high school, she didn't have the whole college experience like her peers did so she wondered if she had missed out somehow; still believing that she had made the right choice. Toby was never interested in college and Mike got all the learning he needed in the military.

Once they reached the apartment, Toby made note of the security camera in the hallway ceiling which could be an asset. Mike knocked on the door and the three waited until the door opened to reveal a blonde. She was wearing really short pants and a white tank top that showed a little too much in Toby's opinion. She was tall, Caucasian, and had dust on her face with the smell of cleaning product coming from the apartment. She was wearing headphones but took them off with the music being heard loudly; a combination of rap and new age rock. The blonde was so casual with her clothing that Spencer felt a little awkward with her black and blue pantsuit.

"Ms. Lamont? I am Officer Cavanaugh and this is Officer Montgomery as well as Agent Hastings from the FBI. You spoke to my partner on the phone," Toby said to the young woman and she perked up once they had identified themselves.

"Oh yes; sorry, I've been cleaning my room all day," the woman said as she opened the door wider to let them in. That sent alarm bells in all three heads since the roommate could be destroying evidence.

Once they were inside, they looked around the apartment and noticed that it was a lot smaller than they would have thought. Both the living room and Kitchen had no space in between them with a single counter that was used to eat. The kitchen had modern appliances though they seemed used and stood out with the wooden countertops. The floor lacked any carpet and instead had a white tile that looked rather plain; which would have earned an insult from Alison if she had seen it. The front room had a single black couch with a flat screen television on a metal stand in front of it on the far wall. The walls were of a cheap white plaster and bare of any decorations; thus leaving them plain. There were two doors on opposite sides of the room that was assumed to be one of the victim's rooms.

"I still can't believe she is gone; I wished that I had gone with her," Tasha said and she seemed to be genuinely sad that her friend was gone. However, the three had dealt with good liars before and could not take the blonde at her word until she was removed as a suspect.

"How long did you know her?" Mike asked as he got out his PDA to take notes while Spencer and Toby started putting on gloves for when they entered the victim's room.

"About two years now; we met through an ad online when I needed a roommate in order to move in. We were kind of friends but she was more focused on her schooling than wanting to hang out to have drinks," informed Tasha as she just stood there and smiled at the three.

"Had she been acting differently lately?" inquired Spencer as she looked around the place. She concluded that both roommates' personal effects had to be located in their respected rooms given the lack of personality in the apartment.

"Actually, now that you mention it; she was acting a little weird lately. Alice kept asking me if I had been in her room or gotten any weird messages," stated the young blonde and that perked their attention.

"What kind of messages?" Mike asked as he glanced at his comrades. Though he had been late to the affair with A, he had a full experience with what Charles had done back in the day.

"I don't know; Alice was very private about her personal life and I never bothered to ask since always kept things to herself," Tasha answered with a shrug.

"Where is her room?" Toby inquired and Tasha walked them over to the door on the far side of the apartment.

"If she had any family, I'd ask if they wanted her stuff since I don't know what to do with it. The manager said that I could have a few months to plan on what to do in regards to my living situation so there is no rush. I haven't been in here since I knew you guys would want to look through her stuff so knock yourselves out," stated the blonde as she opened the door to let the three inside. She then went back to finish what she was doing while they investigated.

The room itself was pretty clean and tidy; though having a bit more depth than the front part of the apartment. The bed was an old wooden fashion poster style with green bedding including the pillows while the night stand next to it was made of metal; with an little night lamp for personal use. The walls had pictures of various locations and monuments; mostly located in Asia and religious in nature. There was a large black oak dresser next to the bed on the opposite side of the night stand with a small bathroom next to it. The bathroom was medium size with its own shower; no door but a curtain for some privacy and rather clean. The carpet was purple and cheap with a few stains but not noticeable unless you looked for them.

Alice had a computer for personal use which mike immediately went to after making sure he was wearing a pair of latex gloves. The small table it was on was a mix of metal and light brown wood with the computer itself a fairly recent model; having its own printer and scanner with an external hard drive for more memory. While he booted the computer, Spencer headed to the dresser while Toby went for the small closet next to the door. They could hear vacuuming coming from the other room but ignored it while focusing on their own search; knowing that the room hadn't been touched given the small layer of dust everywhere.

"I am surprised that she doesn't have any pictures of herself," Spencer said as she went through the dresser drawers and the victim's clothing. Every article of clothing she saw was rather conservative and nothing flashy at all.

"Alice was an orphan and they are psychologically prone to being loners with no photos of family with her being a ward of the State until she was of age," Toby stated as he found a slightly barren closet with very few shoes and coats. There were shoe boxes full of old papers and school work going back years. There were also old documents for official stuff like bills and payments.

"I am surprised that she doesn't have any books; oh wait, looks like she has a few Kindles so everything might be digital for her," Spencer said as she found a stack of the digital devices in the victim's top drawer.

"That fits with her internet use; she had quite a large Amazon account for all of her things. I am also finding nothing but stuff on archeology as well as most of her digital purchases relating to the subject," Mike informed once he broke into the computer. Other than the usual schoolwork and bills, he wasn't finding anything out of the ordinary.

"Anything from her e-mails?" Toby inquired as his search of the closet was coming up empty so he decided to check underneath the bed with his flashlight.

"Nothing so far; just a lot of things relating to her various accounts and school. I'll go through her trash to see if anything is there though I doubt it after all of this time," Mike stated as he checked the trash folder. As expected, the folder was empty since it had been weeks since she had filled her spam folder.

He was about to check Alice's history going back months when an unnamed folder off to the side caught his attention. Clicking on it, there was a long list of unnamed e-mails which warranted his curiosity so he decided to check them out; starting with the most recent one. What he found nearly caused him to cry out but his jaw did drop none the less since it brought up a memory from the past. Shaking his head, he couldn't believe what he was reading and blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

It was an A message.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read and you should check out her stories!**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Mike could only stare at the computer screen.

To say he was shocked was an understatement; if it weren't for his military training, his mouth would be gaping like a fish out of water.

Out of all the people he never wanted or expected to see again, it was A. Though the title had been technically held by more than one person, there had truly only been one real Uber A and that had been Charles DiLaurentis. The A Game had died when he had been sent to a maximum security mental hospital until his death from suicide a few years ago. From what he had heard, there had been a few investigations to make sure that it was really him since Charles had been the master at manipulation. It was finally concluded that it was indeed his body and that it was truly over.

**Be careful Alice, drugs are not a girl's best friend**

**-A**

The message definitely matched ones that he had seen from his past; shown to him by Mona when they had been still together. As a part of her trust in him, that he later betrayed, she had revealed every last thing she had done to his sister and her friends. He had been angry at first, since he never really knew the full story about what had happened because he had been only told so much by his sister. But he had forgiven Mona because she had been sick at the time and it was his sister that had been keeping the secrets that got her into trouble; after all, his mother had deserved to know the truth about his father's affair and it was Mona who had revealed it, not Aria.

"What do you have there?" Toby asked as he saw his partner's sudden change in behavior and walked over. Mike just moved to his side to show Toby what he had found and the older man's eyes widened at what he read.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked as she saw the look on her boyfriend's face and became concerned. Toby wasn't prone to looks of shock and she walked over to see what had been found on the computer.

At first, Spencer's mind did a complete crash like a computer that hit some sort of bug. She stared at the screen, trying to contemplate how this could be happening. She read the A message and read it again several more times in order to grasp the full scope of everything. Spencer then took a step back and plopped on the bed while having a blank look on her face; completely devoid of any emotions. Toby, concerned since he had seen that before with her, immediately went to her side and grasped her hand to show his support. Even Mike looked sympathetic given that he knew full well how this was affecting her.

"This is impossible," Spencer stated after a minute of silence. There was a slight trace of panic in her voice as she struggled to keep it together.

"Mike?" Toby inquired, looking over at his partner, wanting to know if there was more. The younger man nodded and Toby closed his eyes and sighed.

"There are a large number of the messages here; I think we should take the computer and run a complete search for anything besides what we have here," Mike said and his partner nodded in understanding. There was a knock at the bedroom door and Tasha appeared with a duster in her hand.

"Something wrong?" she asked, puzzled by the scene in front of her. Spencer was still on the bed with Toby clasping her hand while Mike was unhooking the computer.

"Did Alice have drug problem?" Mike asked aggressively the young woman before his fellow companions could answer. Spencer stood up and composed herself in order to look professional in front of the civilian.

"Ummmm…well….," said Tasha, looking very hesitant to answer the question. The way she was looking down at the floor as well as standing on one leg was all the answer he needed to press the young woman.

"What drug?" he pushed a little more gently as he got up from the chair he had been sitting in; impressing his partner. Mike had seen this before as an MP with his fellow soldiers and could sympathize with Tasha since it had been her friend.

"Uppers of various types; for school so that she could cram every chance she could. Alice was constantly concerned about her grades," admitted the blonde and Spencer nodded, having to relate given her own drug problem back in high school.

"How bad did it get?" Toby inquired, starting to get a feeling of deja vu given that this was all eerily familiar. Spencer's drug problem had caused some problems in their relationship as well as used by Charles.

"Well I had to cover for her a number of times with the manager when she started freaking out from taking too many pills. These last few weeks, she had been acting so paranoid that I thought that maybe Alice had moved on to taking something worse. But I looked at where she usually kept her stashes and couldn't find anything," informed Tasha as she sighed and looked around the room as if she was still mourning her friend.

"Who did she buy from and could she have been lying about the trip to hide her habit?" Spencer asked, wondering if Alice had been abducted when she had been trying to score. With the reveal that there might be a new A, some things were starting to click in her mind.

"No; we both won those tickets in some sort of contest but I couldn't go so she went by herself instead," answered the young blonde and she was quite adamant that the trip had been real.

"Why couldn't you go?" Mike asked, writing all of this down on his notepad with the computer unhooked and ready to be transported back to the office.

"Let's just say that I am not as good as a student as Alice is so I had to spend my breaks in the library. Alice had offered to stay and tutor me but I really thought she could have used the trip as a break to get away from anything," Tasha answered with her voice cracking and tears appearing in her eyes. Spencer got up suddenly and went to the young woman's side as she began to cry because of her diseased friend.

"Are you okay?" Spencer asked Tasha as she comforted the crying blonde. It was a rather dumb thing to say to the blond in her opinion but she couldn't think of anything else given that it had been years that she last had to comfort someone.

"It's all my fault; I should have gone with her or let her stay to tutor me. She's gone because of me," stated the young woman in between sobs. Spencer saw the guilt in her eyes as well as heard the pain in her voice.

"This is not your fault; it is the person who did this to your friend," Spencer pressed adamantly while looking into Tasha's eyes. Looking at the young woman mourning her friend, the FBI Agent had a sense of anger and determination awash over her.

"Really?" asked the woman, the guilt still evident in her voice and looking uncertain. Spencer stared into her eyes and nodded, almost a little too aggressively.

"Yes; I promise you that we will find out who did this and make him or her pay. You just need to stay strong for your friend; ok?" Spencer said and Tasha nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. Spencer looked over at Toby and he nodded while Mike continuing to write everything down.

"Do you still have those tickets and information on the trip?" Toby inquired, trying to get things back on track. He was glad that he brought Spencer given that she was better at comforting people than he was. It stemmed back to the days of high school when she and the other girls had to rely on each other for support.

"Yes; I'll go get it," Tasha answered and left the room to go get the stuff from her room. Once she was gone, Spencer turned back to the two police officers.

"Things are starting to make sense now; I know why Ms. Buto had been dressed up that way in Brookhaven," Spencer stated with pure professionalism in her voice. Toby knew she was in full investigative mode from past experience with his girlfriend.

"She was made to emulate Aria," Mike stated and Spencer nodded in reply. Toby didn't like where this was going since it brought up bad thoughts on what was to come.

"Which means that there will definitely be more bodies to come in the coming days," Toby said, not wanting to make it so poetic give the seriousness of the situation.

"Are we dealing with a copycat though?" Mike asked, slightly confused since Charles had been dead for years now and supposedly had no partner.

"Or the original A," Spencer mused, then kicking herself for saying it out loud and Mike suddenly became furious about what she was insinuating.

"Mona is not responsible for this," he said adamantly as he took a step toward Spencer which caused Toby to step in between the two.

"Mike, stand down; Spencer, I agree with Mike that Mona can't be the person behind this," Toby stated and while Mike looked pleased, Spencer looked over at her boyfriend in shock since he was supposed to be siding with her.

"Why do you say that; the messages totally fit her MO," Spencer said though logically it didn't make sense if you thought about it.

"Mona messaged people; not kill them and dress them up. That was what Charles did and you know it," Toby stated to her, trying to be as gentle but firm as possible. His girlfriend's main problem was that she always jumped to conclusions before thinking something out which had caused her problems in the past.

"You're right, I am sorry. I just got caught up in the moment," said the young FBI Agent, thinking about it and cursing her abrasiveness since she thought that she had outgrown that. Mike continued to glare at her and Toby had to get him away from her to cool off.

"Get that back to the car with the computer; we'll join you when we get what we need from Ms. Lamont," Toby ordered his partner and Mike nodded, still glaring at spencer as he picked up the computer and then left the room.

"I'm sorry; I was just musing and should have kept it to myself," Spencer said with guilt in her voice and looking apologetic to her boyfriend.

"This isn't Mona and you have to stop blaming her for everything that went bad in the past," said the young man, rubbing his girlfriend's shoulder. Spencer had done that a few times in the past when it became apparent that Aria and Hanna were never going to reconcile with Alison.

"I know; we are all responsible for our own weaknesses and faults. I just wish we would have had a chance to make nice with her and that I hadn't listened to Alison when I did. Maybe I could have patched things up between Mon and Alison like Hanna had suggested," said the young woman with a good amount of regret in her voice.

That had been the plan in the beginning, right after they had escaped the Hell of the dollhouse. The core four had realized that the infighting between all those hurt by Charles had to end; especially when it came to the war between Mona and Alison. It was because of that division that they couldn't take the fight to A so Hanna came up with the idea of mending the fences between the two adversaries for good. Spencer believed that the blonde wanted all the girls to become friends and put the past behind them. It had been a long shot but had a chance to work until Spencer had screwed it up.

Now they were still paying the price for that mistake.

"So do you think this is a copycat?" Toby asked, bringing up the matter at hand. He was already starting to regret having to let Tanner know about this since she had been a part of the drama as well.

"Maybe; some things were never found out because Charles took a few secrets to his grave so there is a chance he had a friend or two on the outside to continue his work," answered the young agent with a frown.

"We also have to consider that someone disturbed read Aria and Ezra's book; becoming inspired and mimicking A," suggested the officer.

A few years after everything was resolved, Ezra and Aria had released a book detailing what had happened in regards to A. The two had received everyone's permission of course, even Alison who wanted her side of events out there. Spencer felt that the book was a way for the complete truth to be out there in order to settle all the bad gossip that had spread during that time. The general consensus had been that everyone, including Charles, had been in the grey no real villain in the events that had transpired in Rosewood. Though people seemed to hold Mona in more regard than Alison once everything was out there; seeing the small woman as an unfortunate victim of circumstance.

"Here you go; we actually got the tickets from a place just up the street from here. A travel agency that I used to work for if you needed more information," Tasha said as she returned with an open envelope which she handed to Spencer. The FBI Agent took the envelope and scanned its contents briefly.

"Thank you; we will probably be back for more information at some point so if you can keep a hold of her stuff, we'd appreciate it," stated Spencer and the young blonde nodded. The two then left the apartment to rejoin Mike at the car.

"Maybe we should check out that travel agency while we are in the area," Toby suggested as they walked downstairs and towards the Manager's office in order to get the security tapes for anyone suspicious.

"Sounds like a good idea; should we take the car or walk?" inquired the young woman as they approached the office and she then knocked on the door, waiting for a reply. When there was no answer, Spencer knocked again and then tried the door; finding it locked.

"We could always come back after checking out the travel agency and we might need to come back with a warrant anyways," said the older officer since he knew from experience that the people who ran places like this enjoyed their privacy.

"We'll do that then; we could always canvas the area to see if we could get anymore camera footage in case A had been watching the place," Spencer said as the thought of someone mimicking one of the worst incidents from her past filled her with dread.

When she'd left Rosewood then years ago, Spencer thought the nightmare of A was done for good. While all the time before the final three weeks had been bad, the Dollhouse had left scars on all of them. Even though it had only been for a few days, the four girls had been treated horribly and would never forget what had occurred. They had been left out in the cold, starved, forced to dress up like dolls, and played with by Charles. Looking back, Mona had been the one who had there the longest when she had been forced to act like Alison; which had made the accusations against her all the more ridiculous. Sometimes, Spencer couldn't believe how naïve and quick to judgment she was; even after all of these years.

Mike was at the car waiting for them with his arms folded; Toby tossed him the keys which he caught easily.

"Take the computer back to the office and make sure it's secured. Spencer and I are going to check out a possible lead," ordered the senior officer. His partner nodded and got into the car while the other two headed off down the street to the address of the travel agency was on the envelope.

"That was a good idea; the last thing we needed was for us to lose something critical like that because we didn't make sure it was safe," Spencer stated, impressed that her boyfriend was being cautious. She remembered all those times in the past where the girls lost critical pieces of information because they just left them in an open room to be grabbed.

"Tanner has never forgotten that break in by Charles all those years ago and our evidence locker is just about secure as Fort Knox," stated Toby with a smile. Some of his fellow officers had complained about the issue but they had no clue what had happened back in the day.

"I am surprised that A would not grab the computer or at least erase the hard drive when he or she had the chance. I think we might be dealing with an amateur," stated the young agent as they walked down the street. Though it was about noon, there didn't seem to be a whole lot of people about but that could just be because of the area they were in.

"Or he or she did it intentionally in order to taunt us; maybe that was the whole reason for us finding the body like that," Toby suggested as a dark thought began to form in his head. Spencer began to grasp what he was suggesting and shuddered.

"You think someone might be continuing The Game," said the young woman, hating that term since Mona and Charles had called it that. To this day, Spencer couldn't hear the word "game" without cringing at the sound of it.

"It's a thought; one that I hope isn't true because even Charles never killed anyone except Bethany and his own Mother," stated the older man, which Spencer nodded in agreement. Even though no one else had died, it was miracle that any of them had survived the ordeal.

Spencer was about to say something when they approached the travel agency and a familiar face walked out of the front door; all three freezing when their eyes met.

It was Mona.

**Please and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read and you should check out her stories!**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

**Sorry for the extremely late up but I had a rough last couple of weeks with some personal issues. To make up for it, this is a lengthier chapter that the usual ones; hope you enjoy**

The three of them sat in the booth of the restaurant.

While Mona sat back with her arms crossed, Mike was too nervous to say anything while Spencer wasn't sure whether to be paranoid or curious.

When the three first encountered each other on the street, there had been a moment of silence as they had just stared one another. It wasn't until Spencer had overreacted that things nearly got out of control. After drawing her weapon and yelling for Mona to get her hands on her head, the smaller woman had pulled her own weapon to do the same. It nearly turned into a shootout and Spencer was cursing herself for her immaturity since it was something a rookie would have done without thinking. It was disturbing that despite all of her experience and years in the FBI, she still had the bad habit of leaping before she thought.

It was Toby that suggested that they go somewhere to talk; in an effort to make sure that violence didn't open up on the street. He had been equally surprised to see Mona but was able to keep a level head about it since he never really had an issue with the shorter woman; though he had once been angry with her with what had happened with Spencer back in high school. Once they had entered the restaurant, he had called Mike to let him know what was going on; which had prompted his partner to rush over in no time. Toby at least hoped that the young man had locked up the evidence like he was supposed to.

While Mike was too busy being nervous around Mona, she had handed him her badge which he went to go check if it was real.

While waiting for Toby to return after checking up on Mona's claim, she occasionally glanced at the woman and realized that she did not seem all that different after all of these years; just older like Spencer was. One of the differences was that Mona had cut her hair and wore it short like Aria did now; though it was the same color. She had her face neutral but the young woman radiated an intense anger and all of their weapons were sitting on top of the table; which had caused alarm to the patrons around them until Toby flashed his badge and said it was okay. It benefited all of them that he was keeping a level head.

"So how have you been?" Mike suddenly asked, speaking up for the first time and trying to keep his voice level. He was a little disappointed when Mona just ignored him and kept her stern gaze upon Spencer.

The FBI Agent was glad that they had the booth in the farthest most location from the nearest patron. They had chosen the booth for its isolation and that had worked out well given that the group needed the privacy. The place was more like a diner that resembled those seen in the 1950s; which the owner was probably going for in order to attract customers. The black and white checkered floor was shiny as well as walls with their murals; the booths were leather and plastic with a red as well as white color to them. There was a counter in the front where one could sit that overlooked the back kitchen.

"Mike asked you a question; I think you should answer him," Spencer told the young woman, a little more firmly than she wanted.

The relationship between Mona and Spencer had always been complicated; born on mutual dislike more than anything else. Even before Mona had been revealed as A, the young woman never really liked her and considered her too stuck up; of course she later realized how hypocritical she had been given that Alison was even more of a stuck up bitch and Mona had learned it from her. When she had still been A, Mona had done horrible things to Spencer that could never be forgiven for; no matter how much bad things Spencer had done with Alison. Even now, Mona was a sense the cause of conflict within the core group and the FBI Agent hated that.

"Still calling the shots I see; must be the norm with Alison out of the country," Mona stated with a smirk, her tone arrogant and dipping with venom.

"How did you know Alison was out of the country?" Spencer asked, already cursing herself given what she now possibly knew about the young woman if Toby's call was confirmed.

"I am in a position to know everything now Spencer; just like before," answered the short-haired woman with a mocking tone; causing Spencer to narrow her eyes at her.

"What are you up to? Are you responsible for what happened to Alice?" the FBI Agent demanded to know with an accusatory tone to her voice which caused Mike to become angry and bristle at her; which she just ignored.

"No; I am in the dark just as you on what happened to her," Mona admitted, her smugness disappearing. Mona was a good liar however and one could never be too sure with her which Spencer knew full well.

"But you do know something," Spencer said, more as a statement than a fact. From past experience, Mona always knew more than she let on and it definitely wasn't a coincidence that she was in the area.

"And if I did? What are you going to do to make me talk?" Mona asked, both in a sweet as well as threatening tone. The FBI Agent was so tempted to slam the cuffs on her and haul her into headquarters but kept her cool since it was obvious that Mona was baiting her.

"Knock it off Mona," Toby said sternly as he walked up and tossed her badge onto the table, nodding his head that she could take back her stuff. While she shouldn't have been surprised by it, Spencer was still shocked that they both worked for the Federal Government.

"You're with the National Security Agency?" Mike asked, both astounded and in awe of his ex-girlfriend. She continued to ignore him and Mike struggled to make sense of that; though he did understand it of sorts.

"Why were you there?" inquired the senior State Police officer and Spencer let him take the lead since he might get more out of her than she did. Toby and Mona always had an interesting dynamic that just plain confused Spencer since it was never hostile in nature. Maybe it was the fact that they had worked together in the past on the A Team and their mutual hatred of Alison that they were civil to one another.

"That's none of your business," Mona simply answered as she stood up after grabbing her stuff; giving Spencer a glare before attempting to leave but Toby grabbed her arm stopping her.

"Let go of my arm or there will be consequences," threatened the NSA Agent as she just glared at Toby. Their stare at one another silenced Mike and sent chills throughout Spencer's body at the sight of their intensity.

He finally did after a minute and she just stormed off; not giving them a second glance as she left the building. Toby watched go and sighed after minute before taking a seat next to Spencer while Mike didn't know what to say. He was ashamed that after all of this time of finally being able to see her, she just ignored him. He suddenly became angry and stormed off, telling the other two that he needed to use the bathroom. While Spencer didn't think much of it, Toby was glad that he left since there was a chance that Mike might have said something offensive to her; blaming the FBI Agent for the bad encounter.

"Well that went well," Spencer said sarcastically to her boyfriend as she rubbed her eyebrows and cracked a fake smile. Toby just sighed again checked his phone for messages; not looking forward to telling Tanner about this.

"I'm sorry; I should have handled her better," Toby said regretfully to her as he was tempted to get something to eat since he was feeling hungry. While it wasn't the best time for lunch, he felt a meal was needed to calm everyone down.

"I think I should have said that," stated the FBI Agent with equal regret. She had been caught off guard by the encounter and would have been more mentally prepared if she had some foresight in advance.

"Well she obviously knew something or Mona wouldn't have been at that Travel Agency; we need to go there in the morning to get whatever information might be there," stated the young man and Spencer nodded.

"I can't believe she has been at the NSA all of this time; probably how she was able to hide from everyone for so long," said the woman as she shook her head in disbelief. It did kind of make sense since the agency was right up Mona's alley.

"It's more than that; Mona is stationed here in the city and works at the local NSA Branch not too far from where you work," informed Toby and Spencer did a double take at that given the close proximity of the woman.

"That is unbelievable; she has been right here in town all this time? I thought she would be in a different country," stated Spencer, believing that Mona had fled as far away as possible after leaving Rosewood.

"I know; the Agency has her working there though and I got the impression that Mona is pretty important given the rather panicked response I got when I called," Toby stated as a waitress handed him a root beer that he asked for.

"Well the way she was dressed, it almost seemed like she was working some dead-end job," Spencer said as she ordered a coffee; desiring the caffeine to settle her nerves. Mona had been wearing a hoodie and black sweatpants when they had encountered her; definitely not something worn at the office unless their dress code was radically different from her agency.

"Something is up and I think I will try to go through channels to try to get in contact with her," Toby informed his girlfriend as they just sat there. Trying to do that was going to take a lot of work though and who knows what kind of problems it would cause.

"Why don't you let me worry about that; I might be able to pull something off at the agency," stated the young woman with an idea coming to mind. It was a crazy idea but it might just work; or get her into a ton of trouble.

"Are you sure? I don't want you hurt," said her boyfriend with a concerned tone in his voice. She smiled affectionately and appreciated his worry but felt that this was something she had to do.

Spencer was about to say something when Toby's phone buzzed and he pulled it out to see the text. His face went to a frown and she was curious until he showed her what the text said. They both stood up immediately and after Toby dropped some money onto the table, they met Mike at the entrance whom looked equally grim. The three quickly hurried out of the restaurant and to the car where they took off for their destination. No one spoke as Toby drove; out of apprehension of what they were about to find.

After twenty minutes of driving, the three arrived downtown to where the Federal Offices were located. There were various police cruisers, both local and State, parked on the farthest most building and Toby parked near where they were. They then got out of the vehicle and headed to the yellow tape blocking the entrance to the structure; which looked like it housed the IRS for the State. There were crowds of onlookers behind the yellow tape and looked to be various officials from the offices in the area. The three had to push their way through the crowd to get to the perimeter; trying to be polite on the way since the majority of the people were probably IRS employees and one did not want to risk offending The area where they were at was more like a plaza that housed all the Federal Facilities in the city; though it was rumored that the more covert agencies had various other secret buildings in random locations. The buildings were stacked next to one another and almost in a rectangle with a large water fountain in the center. The FBI Building was located not too far away from where they were at and Spencer knew that her boss was going to want to know what was going on as soon as possible. Of course, there was a chance that he already knew since the possibility of terrorism was always high.

The two policemen waived the group through once they had walked up and the three then headed inside. They followed the path of people, whom were giving statements to various officers, until they got to the elevators. Outside one of them were the crime scene technicians with more yellow tape blocking off the small area. Going over the tape, they saw that the medical examiner was already inside one of the elevators that held a body. Toby and Spencer's worst fear had come true since it was obvious that the body was another representation of one of their friends; this time a blonde.

"What do you think; Hanna or Alison?" Toby asked as he studied the body in the elevator that was propped up in an office chair. Mike had gone to speak with the first responders to find out what was known so far.

"Hanna; I recognize the hairstyle and Alison never wore skirts like that ever from what I remember," answered the young woman as she also looked upon the corpse.

The person in the elevator was a lot younger than Spencer; maybe around eighteen. She had blonde hair which was down to her shoulders with blue eyes as well as red lipstick. Dressed in a light purple formal skirt, she also had a white blouse on with the top button off; showing a tiny bit of cleavage. Her right arm was holding an expensive purse that was pure red and her left arm was holding a cell phone; which looked real enough from where Spencer was at though it was definitely an older model. The way that the corpse's mouth was open, it seemed that the killer propped it somehow in order to make that the victim was talking on the cell phone.

"Even if this is a copycat; how is it that this A is mimicking you guys so well?" Toby asked his girlfriend. Spencer just shook her head since she didn't know; Ezra's book had just dealt with the case at hand and not a detailed summary of the girls themselves.

"I don't know; there has to be more to this somehow. I wonder if Charles had any pen pals while he was incarcerated," the FBI Agent said out loud and planned to check on her brother's visitors while he still had been alive. From her studies at the Academy, copycats liked to interact with their idol so there was a chance that he was in the system somewhere.

The two watched the coroner handle the body and waited for her report. When she was done, she stepped back from the body and over to the couple.

"It looks like she was strangled but I won't know for sure until she is back at the lab. The body has also been washed thoroughly and I can smell cleaner on her which seems to be bleach; which tells me that there is doubt we will find anything useful," informed the female CSI. She was wrapped in while garb in order not to contaminate the crime scene.

"Do we know who she is yet?" Spencer asked, hoping that they had an early identification on the corpse to get an early start.

"No; her fingerprints are not in the system and she didn't have any ID on her. We'll have to hope that once we get her cleaned up that there is either her DNA is in the system or her face is," answered the woman. After Toby nodded, he and Spencer were then left alone while the rest of the CSI's prepared to move the body.

"You want to visit the hospital tonight? We might be able to get the records without a warrant given my family connection," Spencer stated, not looking forward to the visit. She wasn't fond of being reminded about her psychopathic brother given what he did to her and her friends.

"We should do that tomorrow; I am going to have to report to Tanner about what we have discovered and I am sure your Director will also want an update as well," Toby stated and Spencer wasn't looking forward to that at all.

"Do you think that we might get removed from the case given our connection?" inquired Spencer, the thought coming to her mind. Even with the lack of manpower, the three of them were technically too close to the case rules wise.

"Maybe but I doubt it; Tanner will have our back and she could talk to your Director if it comes up on your side," answered her boyfriend as Mike approached after talking to one of the officers to get up to date.

"So the victim was found over an hour ago by one of the officials here after ringing for the elevator. Her screams is what brought the security guards running whom then sealed off the scene," informed the young man to the other two as he glanced over at the body; also recognizing the imitation right away.

"The body was found in the middle of the day?" Spencer asked, astounded since it had been apparent that whoever had displayed the corpse had done so at great risk.

"Yes; the police checked and found that the elevator had been at the bottom floor for a while so they checked; only to find that someone had placed the body from the basement after gaining entrance somehow. There were no traces of how though since nothing came up in their system," stated Mike with a frown.

"Which means that it was probably hacked somehow; go check with the main security office and see if our hacker from before was involved," ordered Toby and his partner complied and headed away to carry it out.

"This A is getting bold by doing this in the middle of the day and with a large crowd. We have to do something soon before the representations of me and Emily show up," stated the young woman with a grim expression and Toby nodded; matching her present feelings.

"I'm going to go and give Tanner a call to apprise her of the situation; did you need a ride back to your office?" asked the young man.

"No; it isn't a far walk so I will talk to you later," stated Spencer and they said their goodbyes with her heading out. As she walked out of the building, she looked around at all of the other Federal Agency Buildings and took a big sigh after spotting the one where she needed to go.

Spencer had a great many sins as well as ghosts in her past and after seeing the largest one from her past today, she knew she had to make it right. Truth be told, they were still in the dark about what was going on and they needed help; preferably from someone who knew what was at stake. If this was a new A, then it was time to bring in the big guns and that involved making their trio a quartet; though she had to swallow her pride and hoped that the person agreed to help them. Spencer knew that it was going to take a lot of groveling to make it happen though and was dreading it every step of the way.

It was time to have a one on one with Mona Vanderwaal.

When it was first mentioned that the NSA had placed a field office in Philadelphia, there were whispers about the office on what the reason was. They had taken over the old Homeland Security Building and supposedly converted it secretly for their purposes; at least that was what the rumors said. Since her field work never crossed paths with the other agency, Spencer never bothered finding about the FBI's neighbors given that they were only a few buildings away. Her parents had paid attention to the various scandals with the Agency and talked about them around the dinner table but she usually tuned them out. It was kind of fitting that Mona would end up with them since it was right up her alley.

As she approached the building, there were butterflies in her stomach given that she was about to have a face to face meeting with Mona. Since Toby had been by her side as well as being armed, she hadn't been afraid of the young woman on the street. Now, there was no one at her side when facing one of the biggest mistakes of her life. While she had always put on a front when the subject of Mona had come up, truthfully she was afraid of her; especially given what had happened back then. It was her blind anger that had stuck Mona in jail and she had known in the back of her mind that the teen was innocent of Alison's accusations; but she went ahead with the blonde's plan anyways.

There was always that secret fear that Mona might go after her out of revenge; each of the girl's had shared that same fear as well. During the first year of being on her own at the academy, Spencer had avoided going out by herself thinking that Mona might have a go at her with a car.  
Toby had tried to convince her that she was just overreacting, but Spencer always was paranoid about the subject. Hanna faced the issue head on while Emily ran for California just in case. Aria had Ezra to protect her and did her best with the book to paint Mona as a victim; omitting several details that Mona had done to them. Alison was so afraid of Mona's vengeance that she hired a bodyguard that had been in the French Foreign Legion to escort her from the highly secured house she had in Paris.  
When five years had gone by with no incident, their guards had been relaxed somewhat; though that paranoia had always remained.

The NSA building had all of its windows tinted to prevent anyone from seeing in it; which was supposedly illegal in the city. Every Federal Building had normal windows and it was a little strange that this particular agency would be the exception. As Spencer walked up to the building, it almost seemed like it was casting an odd shadow over the place and she could swear that the various suited people were avoiding getting too close. This was understandable given the agency's reputation as well as the fear it portrayed to the masses. It was any wonder that they were excluded from certain rules the rest of them had to follow.

Spencer opened the door and walked it, trying to look like she was here for an official visit and keeping the nervousness off of her face. Unlike the FBI Building where she worked, the lobby was completely barren of activity though it looked similar to her workplace. In fact, the lobby was almost empty of anything except for a single receptionist desk in the back that was covered with glass; probably bulletproof. A woman about her age was seated on the other side of the glass and looked up from her computer as Spencer approached; a curious look displayed on her face. At each end of the lobby were two armed guards; men in suits with what looked like sub-machine guns strapped to their shoulders. On the ceiling in various places were security cameras trained on different spots in the lobby.

"May I help you?" asked the woman behind the glass once Spencer had walked up; in a polite but slightly stern tone.

"I am here to see Mona Vanderwaal," Spencer said to the woman with a slight smile while keeping her tone pleasant but official as well. The reaction she got was surprising since the receptionist's eyes widened completely and every camera refocused on her. Even the security guards gave the FBI Agent their full attention.

"And you are?" inquired the woman as she quickly typed something into her computer which Spencer couldn't see. While the woman's tone was still polite, there was a firmness to it that caused alarms to go off in the Agent's head.

"My name is Spencer Hastings and I am with the FBI; we are old associates," answered the young woman while taking out her badge from her pocket and showing the receptionist. Spencer held it close enough so that the woman could confirm her identity. She was going to say that she was an old friend of Mona's but that was too much of a lie to say straight.

The receptionist continued to type and Spencer was about to ask again when one of the side doors opened. The FBI Agent turned to see about five men in the same style of suit they all wore approach her with their side arms clearly visible. Spencer became alarmed and was contemplating whether to make a run for it when one of the guards moved to block her escape. Making sure that she still had her badge in her hand and her other arm dropping to the side where her own gun was, the young woman did her best to keep her cool. She was mentally kicking herself for not telling Toby where had gone in case something happened.

"Ms. Hastings; I need you to come with me," stated one of the men as they almost surrounded her. His face had a hard look to it and she noticed how his right arm was close to drawing his sidearm if he needed.

"Listen, I am with the FBI and I just wanted to talk to my old friend," Spencer stated, deciding that maybe the lie of Mona being an old friend would placate them.

"This way please," the man insisted as he motioned for her to head the door that the group had just come from. Sighing, Spencer nervously nodded and followed the man while his comrades walked behind her.

Once they were through the door, Spencer found herself in a really narrow hallway that had various doors at its sides. The walls and floor were all a really dark wood with the lighting coming from the ceiling; with more cameras as well. The vents at the top near the ceiling were blowing cool air into the hallway which was nice given the lack of a single window that spencer could see. It was a little too constricted for Spencer's case and she was doing her best to keep herself from panicking; tight spaces being a problem with her as one of the many consequences of the Dollhouse all those years ago. She was about to complain when the man in front of her stopped suddenly and opened one of the doors; motioning for her to enter.

Once she was inside, Spencer found herself in what was definitely an interrogation room. There was a single table in the center with two chairs; one of them occupied by a large dark-skinned man with a stern look on his face. The light in the ceiling was quite bright and there was a large glass window behind the man which faced the empty chair. Like the rest of the building, everything was made up of hard brown wood. At the corners near the ceiling were more cameras; all trained on her once she had sat down. Spencer was cursing herself for even coming here and putting herself in this situation.

"Listen; all I wanted to do is speak to Mona. If that isn't okay, I can just leave," Spencer said to the man as he just stared at her. His suit was a lighter colored grey with a red tie that was an odd combination. He was clean shaven with brown eyes and was clearly a few years older than she was. His bald head seemed to add to the stern look he was giving her.

"Why are you interesting in seeing Mona Vanderwaal?" asked the man, though it seemed more as a demand in her opinion.

"We're old friends; I just wanted to say hi," lied the young woman. It wouldn't help her if she got Mona into trouble if she told him the truth.

"From what I understand, Assistant Director Vanderwaal doesn't have any old friends," stated the NSA Agent and Spencer did a double take at what he had just said.

"Assistant Director? Mona is my age; how can she be that high up?" Spencer demanded to know, staring at the man in mixed wonderment and disbelief. There was no way that Mona could have risen that much in the ranks when it had taken Spencer years to get where she was at.

"That is classified; why are you here to see her?" the man asked again, this time a little more forcibly. Spencer just shook her head and became angry at being interrogated for simply wanting to talk to her former classmate.

"I am an FBI Agent; you have no right to treat me this way," Spencer said angrily, refusing to answer his question. She refused to be pushed around like this and wanted out of here.

"The FBI has no power here; answer the question," the NSA Agent ordered and Spencer suddenly stood up, catching him off guard. She then walked over to the glass window, ignoring the angry man behind her.

"You're right there, aren't you? Listen I just need to talk to you on what you know. Another body showed up today and this time it was the representation of Hanna. I want to stop this from happening again," Spencer said to the glass window, hoping that Mona was indeed on the other side and watching her.

"Sit down or I will make you," threatened the man as he stood up and was directly behind her, ready to use physical force on her. Spencer ignored him and kept looking into the glass window with her eyes narrowed.

"I get it; you are angry with me. I understand and trust me that I do really regret what happened all of those years ago. The others and I nearly ruined your life and should have believed you when you said you were innocent. We also should have never listened to Alison when she accused you of helping Charles. But that was ten years ago and it's time to move on; there is a new A and we need help stopping him or her so please Mona, just talk to me," pleaded the young woman with every ounce of feeling she had; truthful in her words in every way. There was minute of silence and the only sound that could be heard was her breathing.

Then there was the sound of a phone buzzing.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read and you should check out her stories!**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

**Sorry for the day late update but as you know, I always release Sweet Sacrifice along with story and the latest chapter needed to be rewritten; which lead to the delay on this chapter being updated. Anyways, please Read and review and even criticism would be welcomed since I want to know what you guys think. Once again, a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read and you should check out her stories. **

Mona stared at Spencer through the glass.

Her eyes were narrowed as she continued to look at her former enemy who was just silent after her little speech.

It was taking every ounce of Mona's will not to have Spencer arrested and stuck in the deepest darkest hole she could find. It was still surprising that the FBI Agent had simply walked into her place of work in order to request a meeting; something that Mona thought Spencer wouldn't do given their history. Then again, she had heard about the body being found just a few buildings away so it shouldn't come as a complete shock that Spencer would want help in finding the perpetrator; especially since it appeared that a new A had risen from the ashes.

Both women knew the implications of that factor.

"What do you want to do?" asked one of her subordinates from the right of her; a tall man who stood in the dark room with her. Mona didn't answer him but simply pulled out her phone and sent a text to the agent in the room; who received it with a loud buzz of his phone and then left Spencer alone as he exited the interrogation room.

"Do you want to stick her in a cell?" asked the agent who had just been with her former enemy as he entered. Mona had a smirk on her face at the words and was actually considering ordering it done.

"Tempting but her boyfriend would lay siege to this place to get her back as well as put us in conflict with the State Police as well as the FBI," Mona said dryly as she watched Spencer sit back down and fold her arms with an impatient look on her face.

"Are you going to meet with her?" inquired the dark skinned man as he exchanged glances with the other NSA Agent in the room. The two men were the only few people in the agency who knew the entire story of what was between the two women.

"Do you think I should?" asked the shorter woman as she turned and faced her two subordinates, wanting their honest opinion. Everyone who worked in the building had been handpicked by Mona and were the people she trusted the most as well as her friends for years.

"You were pretty upset when you read that e-mail; at the very least you could provide them with information they need," suggested the Caucasian man next to her. He looked to be a few years older than her like the other agent in the room.

"And you?" Mona asked, looking at the other man in the room.

"I'm with him; plus you could always help," he stated with a shrug which earned an eyebrow raised from the woman. His companion also gave him a surprised look given the implications of the matter.

"Explain," ordered the Assistant-Director in a firm but polite tone. She had always told her subordinates to speak their minds.

"You've been on edge ever since that first body appeared and everyone here can see it. We trust you completely but I think you need to handle this for some closure. Plus, they obviously can't get the job done without you," said the dark-skinned man and Mona seemed to consider his words. She looked at the other agent who nodded, seeming to agree with what the other man said.

"I'll be right back; keep the audio off," she ordered and the two men nodded as Mona then left the room to confront Spencer.

Spencer looked up as the door to the interrogation room opened up and Mona appeared at the door way. Unlike the black hoodie she was in earlier, she was dressed a little more officially with her hair tied back. She was wearing a blue skirt with a matching blazer; with a white blouse underneath as well as high heels on her feet. Spencer recognized the look as one Mona had used when they had encountered one another at Radley when she had still been a teen; back when Spencer had been incarcerated because of her breakdown. The FBI Agent wondered if it was a coincidence that Mona was wearing the exact same outfit now or if she always wore that while here at work.  
While Spencer unfolded her arms and sat up, Mona took her seat opposite from the woman and leaned in.

"Thank you for seeing me," Spencer said to Mona, trying to keep her voice as polite as possible and not create another incident.

"Well you did come here alone and said you wanted my help; so you have my attention," Mona stated while staring at the other woman, keeping her features stern. There was so much tension in the room; it could be felt on the other side of the glass even though neither of the two men could hear what they were saying.

"You heard about the other body?" asked the FBI Agent, wanting to get straight to the point. As much as she was curious about what had happened with Mona all this time as well as how she became a part of the NSA, there were more pressing concerns.

"Yes; you said it was the representation of Hanna?" inquired the shorter woman, keeping the apprehension she was feeling under control.

"Pretty much; dressed up to look like she did back in high school," answered Spencer with a grim look upon her face.

"So I guess that makes two now," said Mona, more as a statement than a question. The woman was equally grim since the implications were more than obvious to her.

"And two more to come unless there is a representation of you and Alison that is set to appear unless we stop him or her," Spencer pressed, emphasizing that the word "we" to the woman sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"What makes you think that A will do a representation of me?" Mona asked, curious since the thought never occurred to her. When she and the others had been held captive by Charles, no one had been made to dress up like her; just the five girls with even Alison allowed to be herself.

"I don't know; I just feel that there is a chance that all six of us could be represented in this sick game by this new A," answered the FBI Agent, stating what she believed even though it was out of pure instinct.

"So why come to me; I am pretty sure that you, Toby, and Mike could handle this. You could even rope in the rest of the Scooby gang for a mystery adventure," Mona mocked, smirking at the other woman and appearing to not care. Spencer just narrowed her eyes and dropped her polite demeanor since she was getting annoyed with Mona's attitude.

"Listen, like I said, you have a grudge against me and I understand. But, this is bigger than what we have and I need whatever you have to help stop this," stated the FBI Agent as forcibly as possible.

"What makes you think that I have anything?" inquired the shorter woman off handily, waving her arm as if it were nothing.

"Because you are Mona Vanderwaal and you always know something; I also doubt that it was a coincidence that you just happened to be at that travel agency where the first victim got the tickets when we showed up," pressed Spencer as she leaned forward and stared into the eyes of her former enemy in order to make her point.

"What do you want?" asked the NSA Agent, sighing after a minute of silence. She leaned back and dropped her hostile demeanor.

"I just want your help; you have more resources at your disposal than what me and the others have," answered Spencer, being truthful in the matter as well as dropping her hostility.

"I'll be in touch," Mona simply said after a minute of silence; as if it were final. She then got up and left the room over Spencer's objections; ignoring the woman completely.

After telling her two subordinates to escort Spencer out of the building, Mona proceeded through the building towards the communications room. She passed fellow agents who were going about their business, who moved aside out of respect. Mona knew all their names since she had just about handpicked every last person in the building; so she smiled at them out of courtesy while she walked passed them. After arriving at a lone door which looked like all the rest in the building, at the end of the hall, Mona typed her personal code into the keypad on the side of the then entrance as well as put her eye to the retinal scanner just above it. After confirming her identification, the door unlocked and let the woman inside.

The room itself was mostly shrouded in darkness and quite large; with the only illumination from various computer monitors on the side as well as the large screen directly in front. Since it was empty of fellow agents, Mona was able to have a private conversation without anyone overhearing on her end. Though she trusted her subordinates, Mona still harbored some paranoia because of what happened to her at the dollhouse. No matter how many years had gone by, the woman still had scars just like the others; which often had forced her to confront more difficult aspects of her job. After typing in a few command at one of the computers, Mona stood there until a person appeared on the main monitor.

"I didn't expect to be hearing from you given that I already had gotten your report," said Director Ward as he looked surprised to be seeing his subordinate. The man was a lot older than Mona, in his late fifties, and had his hair though mostly all of it was grey. His face was clean shaven, with white skin, and appeared to be wearing a black suit though only the top half of him could be seen on the screen.

"I've run into a situation," Mona stated, her voice sounding hesitant which caught the Director's full attention.

"Does it have anything to do with the two bodies found this week?" the man asked with his eyebrow raised. He gave a small chuckle when it appeared that he caught Mona by surprise on the statement.

"Word spreads fast," stated the NSA Agent with a sigh and shouldn't have been surprised since her boss seemed to know everything.

"I have friends in the other agencies who have talked about the murders; I also know about the e-mail you found as well. Since I am one of the few who know your complete past, I assume that your call is about the case?" inquired Director Ward, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes; Spencer Hastings has asked for my help and I wonder if it would be okay that I take some time off to deal with this," Mona said to the man which earned her a slight look of surprised from her boss. Out of all of the people who worked under him, Mona had never once taken a day off in her life.

"That isn't a problem since you need the time off but are you sure that something like this needs your attention? You went to great lengths to walk away from all of that," stated the older man, reminding Mona of the past somewhat.

"I think I need to do this; plus Spencer is way out of her league on this though Toby knows what he is doing," said the shorter agent; which earned a smirk from her boss.

"I approve then and take all the time you need; though if something comes up, I will want you back without delay," Director Ward said and his subordinate nodded. She smiled in thanks and the communication link was then cut.

Mona then headed out of the room and straight to her office which was not too far from where the communications room. After going down a few doors, Mona walked inside and to her desk which was at the back end of the room. Her office was rather barren with nothing on the pink walls and everything centered around her desk area; there was a night lamp next to where her work space was with an overhead light for more illumination. The large wooden black oak desk held her computer, phone, and several other items. There was a single picture of her and her mother, taken last year, facing where Mona sat. There was also a scattering of paperwork on her desk which contained various reports as well as other miscellaneous materials.

Once Mona was seated, she sent out a number of texts to call her subordinates to her; gathering her things while she waited for them to arrive.

The door opened up a short time later and a small group of individuals entered the office; lining up side by side in front of her desk. Other than the two men who had been with her when Spencer had been in the interrogation room, there was also an Asian woman with dark hair and two blondes who had arrived as well; dressed in black suits. They all seemed to be curious about their boss packing her things since after years of working with Mona; they knew her habits rather well. The Assistant-Director was always the last to leave when going home and never ventured far from the office unless she had to go to headquarters in Washington. Given that they had spent the most time with her from the very beginning, they knew something was up.

"I am leaving for a while to take care of something personal so it will be up to you guys to run the office while I am away. Since nothing major is on our desks right now, the Director said I can take all the time I need; though I don't know how long I will be gone. You are to call me immediately if anything does come up though," ordered Mona as she grabbed her personal laptop and placed it in her shoulder bag.

"I am guessing that this has to do with the bodies?" inquired one of the blondes; who had first alerted Mona to the second corpse being found not too far from where they worked.

"It has to do with closure," Mona simply answered which earned her a series of sympathetic smiles from the group. Each knew of what had happened to their boss all those years ago so there was no need for an explanation.

"If you need our help, we're here for you," stated the dark-skinned man sincerely since he often viewed Mona as a younger sister of sorts. His fellow agents nodded in agreement and Mona offered a smile in thanks.

"I'll be fine; thank you though," said the woman as she finished gathering her things and gave them a look of appreciation. She then left the office and towards where her car was parked.

The building sported its own underground parking garage that had a more secretive entrance than the other agencies in the area; built once the NSA had moved into the building. It was well secured and only accessible by the agents stationed in the city. Once Mona entered the garage, she walked towards the small blue vehicle parked towards the front where one could enter the building proper; an advantage of being the boss. Once she unlocked the vehicle and turned off her custom security protocols, Mona started the car and then drove out of the garage to her destination. Since she always had a bag packed in the trunk for overnight stays, there was no need to go home.

When Mona and her team had first been assigned to Philadelphia after reentering the country after years of being overseas, the first thing she had done was to see who from her past was in the area. She wasn't surprised to see that Toby was now working in the city with the State Police given that Tanner had voiced her respect for the young man. She was surprised though that Spencer had joined the FBI and was working not too far from where she was; expecting the woman to simply follow in her parent's footsteps and become a lawyer. After making sure to avoid the couple, Mona decided to check on the rest of the old gang to see what they were up to after all of these years. It wasn't hard to do and had been slightly astounded to find out that the old posse of girls wasn't much of a group anymore.

After driving for about ten minutes, Mona arrived at the State Police Headquarters and parked her car in one of the free spaces in the back. 

After grabbing her things, she made sure her car was secured and headed into the building; smiling at the security staff while showing her badge. Mona was one of the rare people in the city that had an all access pass to any official Government building; whether it being State or Federal so she was simply waved through without a second thought. Since there was often coordination between the various agencies and their respective counterparts in the State, she didn't earn a second glance. Since Mona knew the building layout well, she had no problem finding where Toby's office was.

Finding the office empty, Mona assumed that Toby and Mike were either briefing Tanner or still at the crime scene. Deciding to simply take up residence, she sat down on the floor and took out her laptop; booting it up and linking with the building's server. Though she knew everything about the first body that was found, Mona had yet to check up on the second corpse given that it was still fresh. Hopefully, the autopsy was finished or at least the reports were posted on the crime scene. Finding what she needed, the NSA Agent began reading and catching up with the investigation; even hacking into Toby's and Mike's computer for the relevant information while she waited.

That is when Toby and Mike entered the room; their jaws dropping at the sight of her.

**Please Read and Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Spencer stopped suddenly when she spotted Mona from the corner.

The young woman turned to see her boyfriend and his partner nervously going about their business; giving Spencer a look of wonderment.

Mona was currently set up with a small space on the floor with her laptop resting on her legs; she was sitting Indian style while her back was against the wall. She seemed to be ignoring everyone in the room and just typed away while the other two occupants did their thing. When Spencer took a few more steps inside, Mona looked up from her laptop and gave the FBI Agent a bored look. The two locked eyes for a few seconds before the shorter woman went back to what she was doing. Spencer went to be with Toby who had eyed the exchange while his partner seemed to be keeping to himself.

The three had been busy while Spencer was away; setting up a bulletin board with all the relevant information of the case. There were pictures of the victims, crime scene photos, timeline on their lives, and other things that Spencer had yet to see before; concluding that Mona must have brought what she knew to their little group. Getting in close to the board, she studied the printed out A messages that were tacked on; bringing up some ugly memories from the past. The messages themselves were hauntingly reminiscent to the ones she had received all those years ago and there was a thought in the back of her mind that wondered if her brother was behind it; though he had been dead for years.

"So you found out the name of the second victim?" Spencer asked as she studied the board some more. She was surprised that they found the name of the victim so fast given that she had only been away for a few hours.

"Yes; she was actually in the system but under another name once we ran the DNA; Melissa Rogers, twenty-three year old runaway whose been missing for a while with no family," informed Mike from his computer. The way he was focusing on his work station told Spencer that he was trying to not be reminded that his ex was in the room.

"Well I guess we know a little about our perpetrator now; he likes his victims to have no family so no one will report them missing," stated the FBI Agent which earned a nod from Toby.

"Which means that it makes it harder for us to find potential victims," Mona stated from her corner; reminding Spencer that she was in the room. The FBI Agent still wasn't sure what to make of their new compatriot though they could use all the help they could get.

"How did you first find out about this A? You never explained why you at the Travel Agency," Toby stated as politely as he could. He had wanted to know that ever since Mona had arrived and waited until Spencer had showed up to ask.

"It was by accident; I stumbled on the A messages for the first victim through her roommate," answered the young woman and the reluctance to tell them could be heard in her voice.

"Why were you interested in Tasha Lamont?" Mike asked Mona, speaking for the first time since his former girlfriend appeared in their office. He tried to keep his voice neutral and professional given that his emotions were completely jumbled at the moment.

"We weren't; her father is a person of interest to the Agency so we tagged his daughter's emails along with anyone else connected," informed Mona, not going into further detail since it was a classified case.

"I am guessing that is when you saw the A messages and decided to investigate?" Spencer inquired, not pressing the other woman on the other stuff. It wouldn't do anyone good to get Mona into trouble or alienate her by dwelling into whatever assignment she had.

"Pretty much; couldn't believe it at first given that Charles was dead and he didn't have any partners. I figured that this was a copycat who either read Ezra's book or had been following the case when it was broadcast on television," stated the young woman and she remembered how upset she had been when she had first read the messages from A. She had to hide in her office while her people had to cover for her.

Mona had gone to a lot of trouble to put the past behind her; going as far to cut off every last person from her childhood except for her mother. It wasn't hard to do given the enormous betrayal that she had suffered from those she thought she could trust. The few who knew her story thought it was a tragedy that she had gone through the Hell of the Dollhouse only to be locked up for something that she did not do; especially at the word of a proven liar. Once she had been sprung from jail and recruited into the NSA, Mona did her best to never have to deal with the drama of Rosewood again.

She had considered getting revenge a few times; once she had advanced in seniority, Mona was able to start getting away with a few things. During the first few years of her new career, she had been stationed in Europe and had stumbled upon Alison when she was in France. The blonde had been walking down the street in Paris when Mona had spotted her from her safe house; flanked by a bodyguard. Since she was in between assignments, Mona had spent the week spying on Alison, watching in amusement as her former enemy was super paranoid. She had later found out that all the girls were that way and scared that Mona was going to get revenge for what they had done. Luckily for them, Mona was much too busy with her future to waste time on petty revenge.

"How do we know that he didn't have a partner; other than Andrew that is who was just in it for getting ahead academically," Mike wondered out loud, clamping up once he realized that all eyes were on him. Toby was both amused and concerned that his partner was acting like this in the presence of his former girlfriend.

"While I can imagine that my brother could have had a whole slew of people helping him, it was never discovered once everything was concluded," stated the FBI Agent, dismissing the idea as politely as she could. The young woman could sympathize with the young State Police officer given what he was going through.

"Plus a partner would never risk doing something like this in the same vicinity of where the original case occurred; knowing that it would put off alarm bells," Mona continued and her bland tone towards her ex made him feel slightly sad.

"Why now though? Ezra's book has been out for years," Toby said, obviously confused about the whole ordeal. As a former member of the A Team, he was equally disturbed about the whole thing.

"He or she probably just read it and there was a trigger of some kind; something like that has been mentioned before by profilers who guest lectured when I was still at the academy," informed Spencer, hoping that she had that right. She had considered going into profiling but figured that she had gone through enough viciousness in her life. Even this case was starting to push her at her limit.

"Did you ever try to trace the IP address for the emails?" Mike asked Mona, trying to show off a little bit of knowledge to her. She had so far been ignoring him and he was hoping that she would address him if it had to do with the case.

"Yes but it didn't do any good; he or she was using dummy addresses as well as bouncing the signals off of satellites," Mona answered him, slightly glaring at the young man which caused him to cringe.

"This A has to be good if your Agency can't even trace him or her; that means though that we have to do this the hard way," Spencer stated with a sigh. A, whoever it had been, had never made it easy for them to catch and often left a trail of bodies in its wake.

"So how do you want to do this?" Toby asked his girlfriend, as he contemplated his own plan to handle this. He saw an opportunity to try and form some cohesion within this little team of theirs but needed to get Mona alone to do it.

"Well we still needed to check out the prison where Charles was imprisoned to see if he left behind anything that could be useful," suggested Spencer as she sat down on Toby's desk. She almost had forgotten about doing that in the wake of everything that had happened so far today.

After leaving her meeting with Mona, or being tossed out so to speak, she had gone straight back to the FBI building to give her boss a report. Once again, he stressed that if she wanted off the case because of personal issues, it would not be a problem. Spencer had politely refused and stated that she wanted to stay with the investigation; though she understood that the higher ups were starting to catch notice of everything. This usually meant that if she and the others didn't start producing results soon, they would be replaced by a more capable senior team even though the State Police was leading the investigation. She had seen the FBI forcibly take over investigations before so she had no doubts that it would happen again.

"How about you and Mike go do that tomorrow while Mona and I investigate the second victim?" asked the senior State Police Officer, eyeing Mona in the corner. He really wanted to know what she was looking at since she had yet to really participate besides what she knew so far.

Speaking of which.

"I don't see a problem with that; what did you find out at the Travel Agency?" inquired the FBI Agent to the young woman in the corner. That was another loose end that they had failed to touch up on after encountering Mona from earlier today.

"The contest was real and set up by the Agency; though the owners were confused to how the women entered since they had no physical record of them doing so. I did find that their computer was hacked though a hard drive that was too full of malware to effectively find out anything," answered Mona with a frown. It turned out that one of the workers was using the company computers to look at p*** while on shift with weak anti-virus software.

"So A found out about the contest, then hacked the system to make sure that they won; knowing that the roommate couldn't go. He or she then grabs our victim without anyone knowing," Spencer speculated out loud and it sounded sensible to the rest of the assembled group.

"How long did he or she keep the victims before killing them I wonder? Do you think that this copycat has a Dollhouse setup like Charles did?" Mike asked, deciding now was the perfect time to bring up the subject since it had occurred to him before. The only response he got was the nervous glances between Spencer and Mona.

"We should check out if there has been renovations in the area for abandoned buildings as well as old military bunkers just in case," suggested Toby as his hand brushed up against his girlfriends. Even after ten years, the month that Spencer had spent in the place along with the rest of the girls besides Alison still had an emotional impact.

"I'll work on that right now," stated the woman in the corner, already bringing up the necessary parameters on her laptop.

"Do you guys want to pull an all-nighter?" asked Mike, looking up at the time. It was getting late and it had been a very long day.

"Might as well since time is of the essence; maybe we should get some takeout because my stomach is grumbling," stated Spencer as she looked down at her stomach. She hadn't even had the chance to eat lunch; kicking herself for not getting a quick snack back at the office.

"Why don't you and Mike go get some Chinese at that place down the street while Mona and I continue working. We can go over what we know as we eat," said Toby and the three nodded; though Mona's was more of a subtle one.

"What should I get?" Spencer asked as she grabbed her wallet from her purse on the desk. She didn't mind paying for everything since money wasn't a problem.

"Well you know what I like; what about you Mona?" inquired the older man, looking over at the other woman. She looked up briefly and gave him a rather bored look.

"My diet hasn't changed so Mike should still know what I want," Mona simply said and Mike looked shocked but quickly recovered. The younger man grabbed his coat while Spencer gave her boyfriend a quick peck on the lips before they both left.

"I'm surprised," Mona suddenly said after a few minutes of silence had gone by. Toby was curious to what she meant and looked up at her.

"By what?" he asked her, giving Mona his full attention. He was still unsure what to make of her being here to help them; though he wasn't unhappy about it.

"That you two aren't married yet; out of all of the old gang, I expected you and Spencer to have tied the knot first," stated the young woman will a slight smirk on her face. Toby wasn't sure if she was trying to be aggressive or was simply playing with him.

"We're engaged," he simply said, a little more defensively than what he had wanted. Mona had the ability to provoke certain emotions out of people; even after all of these years.

"Well the wedding should be interesting," declared the younger woman with a roll of her eyes as she continued to type. Toby wasn't sure what to make of that and decided that this was the perfect time to get the truth from Mona.

"Why are you here Mona?" he asked her with a mix of firmness as well as politeness. While he doubted that she was connected to all of this, he had to know the real reason why she was here helping them.

"I need closure; I was denied that ten years ago when I sent to prison for something I didn't do," stated Mona in full honestly. Out of all the people she could be truthful to, Toby was one of the only ones.

"I understand; thank you for helping us," said the young officer, genuinely appreciative that she was here. While Mona was a wild card, she had the skills to help them solve this; at least in his opinion. Clearing this with Tanner was going to take a lot of talking that he was not looking forward to.

"Well someone has to help you guys; you could never do anything right without me," she said, putting up a mask that was obvious to everyone.

"Listen; you need to let up on Mike and Spencer. It's been ten years and I know you were betrayed, but they have been going through Hell because of guilt of what happened. I just need you to work with everyone for the good of the case," stated Toby, pressing the point to the young woman. While he could technically sympathize with Mona on what happened, he wasn't going to let her ruin whatever happiness they had.

"If I was holding a grudge, I would have acted on it years ago and there would have been nothing you could have done about it. I could have even made Alison disappear permanently by now for what she did. Trust me when I say that I will be professional but that goes both ways; so keep your girlfriend on a leash because I am armed too," countered the young woman as she looked up from her laptop and gave a hard stare at the young man. He nodded and the look they then shared confirmed that they had reached an accord.

"How did you get into the NSA anyways? If you don't mind me asking," inquired the older man after a few renewed minutes of silence. Spencer and Mike were not the only ones who had been curious about that but figured that he might be able to get an answer when they wouldn't.

"I was recruited in jail while waiting to be released. Apparently I was on some sort of watch list and I was brought into the Agency right after I left town," answered Mona, remembering what had happened back then.

She had been sitting in the cell, waiting for the guard to come and say that she was free to go; after her mother had left her. That is when her mentor appeared and talked to her for over an hour, promising a future in the NSA and the chance to get away from all of this. He had told Mona that she had a great deal of potential in her and that she could do some real good for her country as well as saved lives. While it sounded a little funny at the time, just to get out of Rosewood was enough to grab the young woman. After being betrayed by those she tried to help, Mona was ready to put everything behind for good.

Once she had settled her affairs in Rosewood right after getting out of jail, Mona and her mother immediately caught a train to Washington. Once she had arrived, the young woman had said goodbyes to Leona and went with her mentor to a secret compound to train recruits. After excelling in all of her classes, she was then sent overseas on junior assignments. It had been a long ten years but Mona had found a future outside of Rosewood and was happy. She had risen in the ranks and was in charge of her own section of the Agency; domestic counterterrorism here in the United States. She never went back to Rosewood unless it was to see her mother; in and out before anyone noticed.

"Well I am glad you found something to keep you happy and thank you for not going after the girls," said the young man sincerely. She wasn't offended by what he said given the past between the two.

After all, they had all suffered because of A.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read and you should check out her fics!**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Spencer did her best to concentrate on her driving.

Normally, she would have started a casual conversation with whoever was in the passenger seat; but she wasn't sure she wanted to given that it was Mona.

Currently, Spencer was driving Mona home so that she could change before they both visited the psychiatric prison where Charles had been imprisoned. Their all-nighter at Toby's work place had yielded very little; just putting everything together that they already knew. It did solidify however Mona's involvement with the case to Tanner who seemed to go along with it; though she looked hesitant to allow it. Toby was able to smooth things over with her however and now they were a small team; if not an unusual one. Sometime in the middle of the night, all four of them had fallen asleep in the office. After they had woken, it was decided that Spencer would go to the prison with Mona.

The two had already stopped at Spencer's apartment so that she could get cleaned up. While she was in the shower, Mona had waited patiently in the front room while checking her laptop for any updates. The young woman, after seeing that there was nothing new, explored the apartment though she stayed out of the bedroom; respecting Spencer's privacy somewhat. There were a few photos of Spencer with the various other girls as well as family; also with Toby during certain moments in time. The one thing she noticed was that there were no modern photos of the original posse together and Mona wondered if the rumors were true that because of what happened to her, that a schism had developed between the girls.

After Spencer had finished and changed, they were off to where Mona lived before going to the prison.

The two drove in silence; other than the shorter woman telling Spencer where to go. The taller driver noticed that they seemed to be heading into the residential section of the city; specifically, the older section. As they turned onto another street, they were surrounded by old Victorians and the woman noted how many happy families were out doing their morning routine. Sometimes, Spencer wondered if it was something she could do in the future with Toby; though it was hard for her to contemplate settling down and raising a family. There was just too much evil in the world for her to just quit her job and live a simple life.

"Turn here," Mona instructed, pointing at the left corner of the road. Spencer complied and activated her turn signal. After the turn, the shorter woman pointed at the house at the end of the street.

Pulling into the driveway, Spencer was slightly in awe of where Mona lived; an old green Victorian house that was similar to the Vanderwaal house back in Rosewood. It was strangely eerie how much alike it looked and she wondered if that was done on purpose since Mona had been sort of driven out of her old home. The lawn in the front looked to be well maintained and there was a slightly tall hedge than lined the perimeter on the yard; leaving a space for the car to enter the driveway. There were a few rose bushes in front of the porch and a small tree in the center of the yard which looked like it could be an apple one; though Spencer wasn't completely sure. As Mona got out of the vehicle, the FBI Agent wasn't sure if she should stay in the car until the shorter woman motioned to be followed.

"Nice house," Spencer said to Mona as they walked up the path. Mona simply nodded while she pulled out her keys to unlock the door. After the door was unlocked, the two proceeded inside where Mona immediately went to the security panel to put in her code as well as use the retinal scanner in order to shut off the alarm.

Looking around, Spencer concluded that Mona must have just moved in because there were boxes lined everywhere. As she followed Mona into the front room, she saw that there was only a simple metal futon set up with a small wooden coffee table in front of it; there seemed to be a cup on it with a tea bag over the edge. There was a flat screen facing the furniture, setup a little ways from the wall with some wires coming out if it. The walls themselves, painted green, were bare of anything and the brown-colored floor was all wood with no carpet to speak of. The only light seemed to be the one in the ceiling that was attached to a fan; which she assumed was activated by the switches by the entrance.

Mona kept walking until they both were in the kitchen; where she dropped her bag onto the counter that was bare of anything else. Looking around, the kitchen appeared to be really old fashioned and the only modern appliances were the refrigerator as well as the coffee pot next to the sink. The oven looked to be a decade old and the sink appeared to be porcelain though it could be some sort of plastic. The counters as well as cupboards were all oak, a common theme for the State, and given the open boxes showing the silverware as well as other dishes; she concluded that they were all bare. There were a few dishes in the sink that looked to be a little crusty and there was a hand towel laid out to act as a makeshift dish rack.

"Did you just move in?" asked the FBI Agent, taking a seat at one of the lone tall chairs that lay in front of the counter. There was an open space for which one could eat their meals at given that the dining room had a glass table with nowhere to sit.

"No; been moved in for about a year but haven't had the time to unpack," answered Mona as she went to one of the cupboards to pull out some coffee; indicating they weren't all bare after all.

"You've been here a year and are still unpacking?" Spencer asked in disbelief, not sure what to think. It had only taken her three days to fully unpack her apartment after she had moved in; though she did have some help from Toby, Hanna, and Caleb.

"My job takes up a lot of my time and I am rarely home except for a day off; which is not that often," stated the other woman as she activated the coffee machine and went to one of the boxes to pull out some cups. She then rinsed them off with hot water given that they were still a bit dusty.

"Wow; so you haven't had anyone over at all?" inquired the taller woman as she waited for the brew. Even though everything looked simple, it seemed that Mona still preferred the fancy French Roast that was imported and quite expensive.

"No; my job is my life and everyone I know is either back in Rosewood like my mother or out of State," the NSA Agent simply said off handily.

"It must be lonely," Spencer stated quietly, feeling a little sorry for the young woman. Back in the old days, Mona used to throw parties and have Hanna over all the time; before the drama of A.

"Not really; my friends are at work and nowhere else," Mona stated and Spencer considered herself glad that Hanna wasn't around to hear that since the blonde still wanted a reconciliation between the two.

"Did you want to stop and get something to eat before we go?" Spencer asked, switching topics since this was starting to become depressing. She was starting to get racked with guilt on the change in behavior in regards to Mona.

"I suppose we could stop; just let me go shower and change first. Once the coffee is done, feel free to pour yourself a cup. Once you are done, just put your cup in the sink," Mona said as she walked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs to her room to shower. Her room had the benefit of having its own private bathroom with two more on each floor.

"Thank you," Spencer said after her, looking over at the machine, watching as the black brew poured into the pot. While she waited, Spencer pulled out her phone and checked her messages; seeing that she had more than a few from her friends. Since she had to wait for Mona and was slightly bored, Spencer decided to call Aria back dialing the number.

"_Hello?_" said Aria's voice on the other end and she sounded like she had just done something physical given the heavy breathing.

"It's me; what's up?" Spencer asked her friend since she hadn't given details of why she had called other than to ask Spencer to return hers.

"_I wanted to know if you were still coming to dinner next weekend with Toby?_" stated the woman on the other end. In the background, Spencer could hear talking coming from someone young and concluded that it must be Abby; her end Ezra's young daughter.

"I am not sure; there is this big case we are involved in with Mike so I don't think we can make it," stated the FBI Agent, almost apologetically. It was supposed to be a big dinner too with both couples going out for the evening.

"_What about Mike? Is he in trouble?_" Aria inquired, obviously concerned from the sound of her voice. This caught Spencer off guard since it appeared that her friend didn't know about Mike's new job.

"No; he is working with Toby at the State Police. You didn't know?" Spencer asked, surprised that her friend was clueless about it.

"_Me and Mike haven't talked in years, remember? I also don't think he has said anything to my parents since they haven't mentioned it,_" stated her friend, a little annoyed though with some relief as well.

"Well he, Toby, and I are working a pretty big case together so I don't think we will have the time; sorry," said the taller woman, sounding sorry and meaning it. She knew that Aria and Ezra had wanted to have a night on the town for a while with Spencer since she was the closest friend to her at the moment.

"_Well that sucks; I was looking forward to it as well as Ezra. We even got my mother to babysit for us,_" informed the woman on the other end; sounding disappointed. Spencer smiled in sympathy since she knew that Aria had been looking forward to the night out.

"You guys can still go out; just go do a movie," suggested the taller woman as she poured herself a cup of coffee once the brewing was done. Taking a sip, her mouth felt like it was in Heaven since the stuff brewed at Toby's workplace was horrible.

"_Maybe; what's this case you are working on?_" asked Aria, sounding curious. Spencer did not want to bring up the fact that someone was mimicking Charles and decided to keep that under wraps. She also didn't want to bring up Mona since that would lead to questions that she didn't want to answer just yet.

"Just some bank fraud, nothing special that is worth talking about. Listen, can I call you later; I have to get some stuff done," Spencer said, watching Mona reenter the kitchen. The shorter teen looked a little fresher and in a similar attire though new. Grabbing herself a cup of coffee, she eyed Spencer slightly while checking her own phone.

"_Talk to you later then; I want to know how Mike is since I can't ask him. Have a good day,_" said her friend and once Spencer said goodbye, both hung up.

"How is Aria?" Mona asked casually, not really caring but still curious none the less. She knew it was her that Spencer was talking to given the air vent in the ceiling that went straight to her room; the sound echoing and everything coherent.

"You don't know?" inquired the FBI Agent, surprised since Mona was always someone who knew everything about the girls at all times.

"I have a life Spencer and it doesn't involve spying on those from my past," stated the shorter woman, sounding annoyed by what Spencer had said. The other woman smiled in apology and took another drink of her coffee before answering.

"She is good; her and Ezra are married with a daughter named Abby," informed the FBI Agent as she checked her phone for anymore messages; seeing that she had one from her mother as well as Hanna. She wasn't sure how she would be able to tell Hanna about Mona given recent events and was surprised that Mona hadn't asked about the blonde either.

"Well good for them," Mona stated, a little too plainly for Spencer's taste. She didn't want to start an argument however and let the matter drop.

Once they were done with their coffee, Mona grabbed her stuff and they left the house; after Spencer used the bathroom. On her way out, Mona reset her alarm and locked up before getting into the car. Since they had an hour drive ahead of them, the two stopped for some breakfast sandwiches at a local place up the street. Since Spencer was driving, Mona bought the food since it was only fair. Both women were surprised how well they were getting along though it was because of Toby that they were doing so. He reminded them each in private that this case was bigger than the past; which they agreed.

When the dust had settled, Charles had been sent to a maximum security psychiatric prison just north of Philadelphia to serve out his remaining years. Not once had Spencer or any of the other girls had gone to visit him; even though he had been her brother. His story had been sad and each of his victims was sympathetic towards him in a ways; but given everything that he had done to them from the harassment to the Hell of the Dollhouse, there could be no forgiveness. Only Jason had visited him as well as Peter shortly before his heart attack; each refusing to talk about the visits when asked. When her brother had died after committing suicide, everyone had secretly breathed a sigh of relief that it was finally over. There had always been a fear that Charles would escape and go after them again.

The facility lay in the middle of a little valley and was surrounded by hills. Slightly isolated, it was just a few miles away from an active military base in case there was trouble. The facility itself was a converted prison so it was closed off with concrete walls and metal gates. There was a set of buildings that housed the hospital staff and storage for supplies; which helped with the winters when the roads were closed down due to avalanches. Once they were at the gate, both Mona and Spencer showed their ids while their vehicle was inspected. When everything checked out, they were allowed to pass through the gate and informed that the head of the facility would be waiting for them; Spencer had called ahead to make sure they could be granted access.

Once they had parked the car, Spencer and Mona headed to the administration building.

"Mr. Nelson? I am Agent Hastings and this is Agent Vanderwaal; we spoke on the phone," Spencer said to the man as they entered the Administrators office. The man was a short pudgy individual with no facial hair and wearing a white coat.

"I've been waiting for you; we have what you asked for which you are lucky since we were due to dispose of it in another few months. Policy dictates that we keep patient things for a only a few years," informed the man as he stood up and lead the girls to another part of the building.

"Were you here for Charles DiLaurentis?" Spencer asked, hoping that the Administrator would have some insight into her brother.

"Yes; though I had no contact with him and his doctor retired some time ago. You will find his reports with the things. From what little I do know, he was a model patient though one of the darkest we ever had," stated the older man as they passed a security check point. Mona was slightly nervous being here since it reminded her a little of Radley.

"Understandable given what he did; other than Jason DiLaurentis and Peter Hastings, were there any other visitors?" asked the FBI Agent in an official manner. It appeared that her link to Charles wasn't going to come up which she was glad for.

"No; we checked though he did receive a bit of mail which we kept as well," answered the Administrator as he led them into a room where a large table with chairs lay. There were boxes on the table and there were quite a number of them.

"Thank you; we'll go through what we can and take them with us once we are ready to leave," Spencer said as Mona went straight to one of the boxes and began delving into its contents.

"No problem; chain of custody has been taken care of and let me know if you need help bringing the things to your vehicle," said the man as he exited the room, leaving the two women alone to do what they needed to do.

"I say we go through what we can for an hour and then take it with us. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to," Mona said adamantly and Spencer could understand given her own history with Radley. There were also too many boxes to go through with just the two of them and needed fresh eyes once they got back to Toby's office.

Opening the first box, Spencer sighed and got to work.

**Please Read and Review; also a special thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

**Advance Warning; things are changing in my life which might affect the update time of my stories; I will try to keep on schedule though with one update per week. Also, a special thanks to Paraddicted as always for the pre-read.**

Mike let out a frustrated sigh.

As he continued to write up the search warrant for the foster agency, he once again became annoyed at the absurdity of it all.

He had recently found out that the second victim, Melissa Rogers, had actually run away from her foster family some time ago. When Mike called the agency to get all of her records, they had stonewalled him into having to get a court order; which he couldn't understand why. The victim was over eighteen and no longer a minor; thus her records should have been allowed to be used for the investigation. He suspected that something was up and maybe it had to do with the current case; or maybe nothing at all. Either way, his interest was caught and there was a chance that something could come out of his looking.

From what he knew, Spencer and Mona were on their way back with everything pertaining to Charles from the psychiatric prison. Toby had said that the girls were bringing quite a lot and it was assumed that they would be pulling another all-nighter to go through it all; the girls could only go through so much given the drive there and back. He had suggested that Mike go home and get some rest before coming back; which he had gone to do himself. Thus he was now alone in the office. Mike didn't want to go home though since he was still living with his parents in Rosewood; today was a family day with Aria over and he didn't want to see her.

What Mike really wanted was a chance to talk to talk Mona; alone if possible. He wanted to apologize to her for what happened and ask for her forgiveness; maybe even try to get a second chance with her. Unfortunately, she was ignoring him and wouldn't say anything unless it was relevant to the case at hand. That made him both angry and sad at the same time; wanting to throw something up against the wall. But he managed to keep his cool; using some tricks he had learned in the army. Now his plan was to just be patient and hope that Mona would talk to him sooner or later. Especially if this turned out to be a long case which was becoming apparent since they didn't have a whole lot of leads.

A part of him found it funny that Mona had been in town all this time; even if it had been only for a year.

"Let me guess; you never went home?" Toby asked as he stepped inside the office and found his partner at his desk. The senior detective was dressed in a new suit and looked a little fresher than before.

"I changed into my spare suit and cleaned up in the locker room; also took a slight nap as well," defended the younger man; trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. He was almost done with the warrant request and would head out to get a judge's signature as soon as possible.

"I know you have issues with your family but you need to go home to let them know you are alright," chided Toby as he took his seat at his desk and booted up his computer.

"I texted mom earlier; told her that I would be at the office for a few days," stated Mike as he printed out his warrant and looked over at his partner with a bored look.

"Spencer has probably already told Aria about Mona so this might be the perfect time to talk to your sister," suggested the other officer casually. As a rule, he tried to stay out of Mike's personal affairs but couldn't resist the opportunity to advise the younger man.

"I'll strike you a deal; I will talk to Aria when Mona forgives me," said the partner sarcastically; earning a sigh from Toby and shaking his head.

"Whatever; they'll be here in a few minutes with the stuff, so we need to help them carry it all to the conference room. Tanner loaned it to us so we don't have to be cramped in here," stated the older man and Mike nodded as he went over the warrant to make sure it was ready to go.

"I would have been willing to go with them; maybe even me and Mona," Mike stated offhandedly, looking over at Toby.

"There is a time for personal stuff and a time for being professional; plus this was something that those two needed to do. If you get down to it, Charles harmed those two the most out of all of them," stated the senior officer adamantly.

"Alison would disagree; not to mention his other victims," stated Mike with a scoff. Unlike his partner, the younger man had no sympathy for Charles DiLaurentis given the massive amount of betrayal involved.

"Alison was only hit in the head and framed for murder; which could have been prevented if she had been truthful to everyone. As for his other victims, I agree though their secrets are also what did them in. If Jessica and Kenneth DiLaurentis hadn't sent their son away because he was different, then none of this would have happened," stated Toby with a trace of anger in his voice.

Even to this day, he was still angry with Alison's family for what happened and put all the blame on them. It was because of their secrets that led to the rise of Charles and his reign of terror for Spencer and the rest of the girls. Alison was also guilty of creating the monster that was Mona during high school; driving the short teen to becoming A and harassing the girls after years of bullying by the blond. A part of him knew his anger was slightly irrational and had kept his feelings in check when Spencer had Alison over. But the resentment was still there and would always be until he felt that Alison adequately made up for her past wrongs; which she had yet to do with anyone.

"Well Charles was a nut and I am glad he is gone; though for all we know, there could be a whole slew of fans ready to continue his work," Mike said, standing up to fax the warrant to the State Justice Department. Due to recent reforms within the State, it became easier for warrants to be filed and approved.

"Charles was sick; like Mona was a long time ago," Toby countered, giving his partner a disapproving look. Even though he had been in the army, Mike still displayed some adolescent qualities.

"Mona was bullied and your girlfriend let Alison do it; she became sick because of that," refuted the other officer, making a point.

"Spencer has a lot of regrets in her life; not connecting with her parents better is one of them especially with the death of her father. Don't think she doesn't look back and regret how certain people were treated; though Spencer can be too stubborn to admit it. Right now we need to catch this killer and maybe things will work out after that," said the older man; hoping that was the case since it could allow for some reconciliation.

While he doubted that Alison and Mona could ever be in the same room together, he hoped that some grievances could be buried at long last.

"Anyways, I was thinking that we might be barking up the wrong tree on a possible Dollhouse location. When Charles set up his original location, he did it off the grid in an abandoned missile silo that no one knew about. So it's likely that we shouldn't be looking at renovated buildings that are registered but look at places that have been abandoned," suggested Mike, giving his partner his full attention.

"You know, I didn't think of that and should have considered given how we found the original Dollhouse in the middle of nowhere; assuming that it is a recreation," admitted Toby, giving the younger man a thoughtful smile.

"The problem is though that we'll have to go through the State Records on possible locations which will take a long time; not to mention military installations that are off the books," stated Mike with a grim face. Given how large Pennsylvania was, there was a lot of territory to search given their small team.

"Mona might be able to help with that. Given her clearance, she will likely have unlimited access to the information we need," Toby said, hoping that Mona would be willing to help in that regard.

"Can I go to her about it?" asked the younger man, hoping he could use it as his chance to have a whole conversation with her. It would be a step up even if it was work related.

"Sure; it is your idea so try to work with her on it since she could help in the search parameters," answered his partner.

"Thank you; I need to go file this so I'll be back," Mike said and he then left the office with a satisfied smile on his face. Toby went back to his computer to see if there was anything new through his email.

After a few minutes, the door opened and Spencer appeared; slightly disheveled and her clothing a bit dusty.

"We're back; Mona's with the car and we can use your help bringing up the boxes," stated the FBI Agent, huffing and seemingly tired. Toby nodded and followed her out of his office to the elevator.

"How was it; being with her and going to the prison?" he asked her once they were alone in the elevator. There was little activity in the place currently though Tanner was in the office at the end of the hall; working on her usual mountain of paperwork.

"It was fine; Mona has a house in the residential part of the city though most of her stuff is still unpacked. Apparently she is more of a workaholic than any of us including Mike," answered the woman as she yawned, tired from all the driving.

"Did you find anything that we can use for the case?" inquired the young man as the elevator continued to travel downwards to the parking garage. According to her texts, Spencer and Mona had looked a little bit at Charles's things before heading back.

"A little; seems my brother had quite the fan club," informed Spencer with a somewhat glare and still reeling from all the mail he had received while incarcerated.

"People like him usually do; anyone stand out?" Toby asked as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Spencer had parked in the loading zone and close to where the elevators were; Mona was waiting at the car.

"A few names, Mona has the list; though there are more letters that we didn't get a chance to get to. Charles also kept a journal and there are several volumes that we need to read; wasn't going to get into my brother's insane musings and then drive," said the young woman dryly as she and Toby each took a box out of the trunk. The entire backseat was filled as well and it would take several trips.

"Well Mike had several ideas that need to be checked up on; would you be willing to help him Mona?" Toby asked the shorter woman as all three carried a box to the elevator.

"Fine," was all she simply said and while he wished it had been a little more polite, it was better than a no from the young woman. The two met Mike in the hallway and he headed back to the car while the other three continued on to the conference room. It was another twenty minutes before all the boxes were brought up.

"I can't believe that there is so much stuff that this guy had," remarked Mike as the last box was set down. There had to be at least twelve boxes full of files, writings, and other personal effects of the late Charles DiLaurentis.

"It's somewhat believable since he served at least a few years before killing himself," Mona said as she sat down and was slightly winded. Though she had done field work in the past that had been physical, it had been a while and she was out of shape.

"Well I was just glad that they made sure he was really gone this time given how he faked his death the first time," Toby stated dryly, remembering how Charles used his fake death to get around Rosewood without detection.

"Jason went to great lengths to make sure; even Alison hired a second company to help," informed the taller woman as she sat down at the table.

The conference room was pretty large with a single table in the center of the room; a black metal type with matching chairs. The carpet was a dark brown and the walls were a white plaster that didn't seem to go with the room; more for cheapness than for show. There were overhead lights which were many but had multiple light switches to adjust the illumination in the room. In the back of the conference room was a large flat screen mounted on the wall with a computer set up not too far way; allowing for presentations on multiple subjects. There was a room like this on every floor and they were rarely used; which allowed the group to use the room for their own purposes.

"They weren't the only ones; I have friends inside various Agencies that had followed the progress just to be sure," admitted Mona sheepishly; earning startled glances from her companions. Truth be told, it didn't really surprise them given that Mona had technically suffered the most because of Charles DiLaurentis.

"So I am waiting for a judge to approve my warrant for Ms. Rogers foster records and then I plan to get them tomorrow," Mike informed his partner while the other two began opening the boxes to organize who would go through what.

"Do you think something is there that could be relevant to the case?" Toby inquired as he grabbed one box and taking the lid off. Inside were some medical records as well as some private journals.

"I'm not sure; the fact that they are stonewalling me tells me that there might be something there. Also, it gives us a timeline on her movements leading up to her death. We still don't know if she was simply grabbed off the street or had been harassed by A until her abduction," stated the younger man and Spencer nodded in agreement, impressed by his reasoning.

"Okay; would you mind going with him?" the older officer said to Mona, ignoring the surprised look coming from his partner. Mona gave Toby a slightly annoyed look but nodded; much to both men's relief.

While Mona and Spencer went to get cleaned up in the restroom as well as bring back something to eat, the other two went through the boxes. As Toby poured over the various medical records, he was reminded on how Charles was connected to his mother's death as well as the fact that Jessica DiLaurentis covered it up. It had always angered him that what happened to his mother had been lost in all the drama of what happened back then; basically an after note in all the news articles on the subject. That was another reason why he hated that family so much; their inability to take responsibility for their actions. At least Jason made an effort to apologize though it was a little too late; which Toby still appreciated.

Mike was reading one of the journals when the women returned with some snacks; mostly from the vending machines. There was talk for more takeout food to be brought in but he just ignored them while he read; fascinated with what he was reading. Even though Mike hated Charles with a passion, he had somewhat felt sorry for the guy. To be sent away to Radley at a young age and basically cut out of the family was heartbreaking; especially since it wasn't his fault that he had been mentally ill. As someone who had problems himself when he was younger he could sympathize, though Charles had taken it to the next level dramatically. It was interesting to read that the deceased often raged about the injustice he was feeling on one page and then sound remorseful on another.

That is when he caught it and had to share with the rest of the group.

"Are you sure Charles didn't have any visitors?" Mike asked Spencer, suddenly looking up from what he was reading.

"The only record of someone visiting Charles was Jason; no one else," answered the FBI Agent, curious to what the young man was getting at.

"Well from what I am reading here, he had a regular female visitor," stated the younger police officer which earned him astounded looks from the other assembled.

"Are you sure?" asked Spencer, both confused and surprised at the same time. The visitor logs had appeared on the up and up given that this wasn't Radley.

"Yeah; take a look at this," Mike said, handing the journal over to Spencer, who took it to read the passage he had found. Sure enough, there was entire page devoted to some weekly visitor that her brother had before his death.

"How could that have been missed by the prison?" the FBI Agent asked, completely perplexed on what she was reading.

"I think we should check the prison's system; there is a chance that it was hacked in order to change the logs," Mona said, wishing that she had run a check when she had been there. The NSA Agent wasn't looking forward to heading back there since it would be problematic to gain access.

"I'll go with you and bring the paperwork needed to gain permission since the officials there might stonewall us," Mike said with a little firmness in order to prevent Mona from resisting given that it would just be the two of them alone for most of the day. She nodded but had a sour look on her face.

After all, they now had an actual lead.

**Please Read and Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Mona just looked out the window as they drove.

As she sat in the passenger seat, she did her best to ignore the person next to her; trying to focus on the scenery.

Instead of pulling another all-nighter at the office, Toby had sent everyone home for a more meaningful rest. He could tell that both Spencer and Mona were exhausted and deserved a night in their own bed; a recharge of their batteries. She understood where he was coming from since they needed a fresh set of eyes. There had been times where Mona's subordinates had to force her to take a break; usually when there was such a long wait time in between ops. They would escort her home and even stand guard in order to make sure that she got at least nine hours rest as well as to get something healthy in her stomach. During her training, the young woman had lived on junk food and was prone to malnourishment at times.

Truthfully, it had felt good to sleep in her own bed for once and even had gotten to have a conversation with her mother. Mona had made it a habit to check in with her mother at least twice a week; something that had gone back to when she left Rosewood for good. At times, her mother would come and visit wherever Mona was; spending a couple of days so that they could go and do something together in between missions. The older woman had yet to visit her daughter in the new place due to Mona's busy schedule; but she had helped when it came to shopping for the residence given that she was so close. Leona had never asked her daughter to return home which Mona was grateful for.

After she had arrived home, Mona felt that she needed a real meal so she made herself some eggs and sausages; with a glass of orange juice to go with it. While the rest of her house was unpacked and could use some touching up, Mona had always kept her kitchen well stocked; using a service ran by some ex-employees of the Agency. The young woman had always been paranoid and found that she wasn't alone in this; thus every agent made sure to stick with those who they trusted. Even the movers were NSA trusted; though she would have just done it herself. During her training, everything she had in Rosewood had been transported to a storage unit in Washington until she needed it.

Making sure everything was locked up; Mona made her way to her bedroom for the night.

Unlike the rest of the house, the bedroom was fully unpacked and set up to the young woman's personal tastes. Her bed was a custom made four poster makeup made with black painted redwood; having pink sheets and pillows. While the rest of the house sported white walls, her room was painted green which matched the color of her old room back in Rosewood. In fact, other than the bed, everything in the bedroom was from her childhood; from the furniture and right down to the computer she used when she was still a student in Rosewood High. The room had been setup to match her old room too; though she had a few more pictures on the walls as well as her various degrees. The room had a larger closet though that housed her personal firearms as well as her clothing. Another change was that Mona had an entertainment center all setup at the end of the bed; so that she didn't have to go downstairs to watch television.

Her security system was top of the line and didn't stop with the alarms on the doors as well as windows. Mona had hidden cameras all over the house with motion activated sensors in order to prevent her from being surprised. Everything was routed to another computer which was not connected to the internet in order to prevent it from being hacked. Though her job at the NSA had never earned her any real enemies, ones who were still alive anyways, she was still paranoid which went back to her teenage years. There was a lock on her bedroom door that couldn't be picked which was backed up by two deadbolts; the door itself being made of a very thick and sturdy wood. She also had a weapon near her body at all times with a gun under her pillow for good measure.

After she changed into her bed attire, which consisted of a white tank top and shorts, Mona decided to call her mother. One of the new elements of their relationship was that they no longer kept secrets from one another; an aftereffect of what happened in Rosewood all those years ago during the A drama. There were exceptions of course, given Mona's career so secrets that had to do with the NSA were off limits. After a few rings, Leona picked up and appeared delighted to hear from her daughter; after a minute of chit chat, Mona told her about what was going on; though she left out the grittier elements of the case. The older woman was surprised that her daughter was willing to work with the others, especially Mike, but understood none the less. She offered the younger woman some advice, which Mona listened to, and they agreed for Leona to come for a visit when it was all over.

After hanging up, Mona watched a little television before going to bed.

Getting a full night's sleep, Mona got up and did her usual routine of bathroom time and then breakfast; almost through it when Mike showed up, dressed in a clean suit and touched up. He was early and she was tempted to make him wait in the car while she got ready; ultimately deciding to let him inside and hang out while she dressed. When she came downstairs, he was on his phone while sitting on the couch in the living room. He smiled at her and commented on how he liked her place, which she politely thanked him for. She knew from Spencer that he still lived with his parents, though he was trying to find a place in the city. In better circumstances, she might have been tempted to rent him a room given that she had more than enough space. Once she was ready to go, they departed to head back to the prison.

"So I looked for more references to Charles's mysterious visitor in his journals and I get the impression that she might have been there for reasons other than him," stated Mike suddenly, breaking the silence that had lasted a bit.

"How so?" asked Mona, looking over at him and curious. The two had just left the city's limits and were on the main road going north.

"He mentions that they met by accident after running into each other in the hallway; which told me that maybe that is why we didn't see her on the visitor's logs," informed the young man. He had stayed a bit after everyone had left, reading until he decided that it was time to go.

"She could also be a doctor or another type of prison official as well; not just someone visiting another inmate. This would allow them to communicate without the prison noticing," Mona said, thinking out loud about the information. It made sense given that similar elements happened back at Radley.

"Which will make it a little hard to find her; glad I brought a warrant and Tanner will provide help if we need it," he told her, smiling over at the young woman; which she gave a bored look to in response.

"Actually, finding her might be a little easier than you think. While Radley kept their staff close-lipped, I imagine the guards here will rather be loose lipped instead since they are State employees," Mona commented which earned her a confused look from Mike.

"Why would it matter who pays the guard's salary? I work for the State and don't have a problem," said the young man, not really understanding where Mona was coming from. The pay was actually a lot better than what he got in the military and with the added bonus of not getting shot at.

"You work at the high end of your profession while most prison guards are at the low end; thus their pay and benefits are not exactly up there with yours. While the prison might have a policy against idle gossip, I doubt that any of the staff really obey it so what we have to do is get a little chatty with a few of the staff," said the young woman with a smirk and Mike was instantly reminded of the person he once knew back in high school.

"So how do you want to do it? I don't think the warden is just going to let us chat idly with his own staff," stated the young officer with a slight hesitation. They were about a quarter of the way there and he was glad that the two had some sort of plan on how to proceed.

That was one of the many reasons why he loved Mona so much; the fact that she always had a plan of sorts.

"Leave that to me; I want you to handle the system and wave that warrant around while I look for someone to chat up. Should have brought some cookies," stated the NSA Agent, wishing that she would have thought of this earlier.

"You still bake?" Mike asked casually, trying to show that he wasn't too interesting even though any information Mona shared about herself was of great importance to the young man.

"No; though my mother still does and I could have asked her last night during our weekly chat," remarked the young woman casually as well. She knew full well what he was trying to do and decided to throw him a bone to at least give him something.

"You still talk to your mother?" he inquired, happy again that she was opening up to him even though it was a slight trivial thing.

"More than you do with your mother," Mona said informally, making a subtle point with the young man. Mike was caught by surprise by what she said though it didn't seem condescending or rude to any degree.  
"How do you know that?" he almost demanded to know. While he was trying to hold his temper with her, it was comments like that which caused Mike to get annoyed.

"Don't get so worked up about it; you forget how good I am at picking up on things," answered the Federal Agent with a bit of annoyance in her voice as well. That seemed to cool him off since Mike knew full well what Mona was capable of when she was angry.

"Sorry," he said calmly as he got into the other lane to pass a logging truck which was forcing him to slow down. There was a minute of silence before Mona spoke up again.

"So why are you not talking to your mother?" asked Mona, now wanting to know about Mike a little more. She had in the past to find out how he was doing but decided not to since his betrayal had been still fresh in her mind.

"It's not that I don't want to talk to her but she keeps harping on me to find someone special and raise a family. I think she also wants me to make peace with Aria," informed Mike as followed the signs that led to the prison.

"Don't lose your family over me Mike; family is important and should be cherished," advised the young woman, surprised at herself on how gentle she had said it. In the past, she would have been happy to learn how Aria and Mike were not talking and while it didn't really bother her, she did feel that things needed to get resolved.

"I am sorry about what happened; I should never have betrayed you like that," Mike stated apologetically, taking this opportunity to clear the air with her; given the sudden personal connection they presently had.

"I know," was all that Mona said and her voice was rather soft.

Truthfully, she wasn't sure that she could ever fully forgive him after what he had done. It had truly bothered her that Mike had believed everyone else over her when she had been framed for helping A; especially after her being subjected to the same kind of torture in the Dollhouse. Not only that, he took it on the word of Alison herself; the blonde that had caused all the drama in their lives. That was the rub that angered her the most since all the things she had done for everyone had been forgotten so easily. She had tried to make up for it and it was still all thrown back in her face. There was however a small part of her that still loved Mike but she suppressed it in order to move on. Mike was her past and she needed to focus on her future; though this case didn't help.

After driving the rest of the way in silence, the two eventually made their way to the prison.

Since they didn't have an appointment this time, their arrival was unexpected and had to wait in order to be checked in. The wait would have been longer if Mona hadn't flashed her NSA badge to the guard, who then waved her through right away. Mike had to admire the way how his companion can just open doors to places that would require a mountain of paperwork for him. Once they were inside and parked the car, the two entered the main building and headed to the administration section with Mike following Mona since she already knew the way. They passed numerous personnel this time and Mona made a note of every one of them in order who could be a possibly be a weak link. That is something caught her eye and she knew that the opportunity could not be passed up.

"The Administrator's office is in the next section and there are signs saying where to go; you go ahead and serve the warrant while I pursue another angle," ordered the young woman and she walked away from him in the opposite direction. Mike was about to protest but there was something in her voice that made him realize that it was better for him to simply do what he was told.

Mona quickly made her way down the hall to where there was an empty section of hallway. She then spotted the nurse and guard that caught her attention earlier and she followed them as they entered a room that appeared to be out of the line of sight for the security cameras. Sticking to the same path, she made her way slowly while keeping out of sight though she could have activated a small device in her purse that would have knocked out the cameras for a few seconds; something that she kept on her person at all times. Looking around to see that no one was watching, Mona slipped into the room and was not surprised on what she found. The nurse had just sat on the desk with the guard taking off his pants when they spotted Mona; the two freezing on what they were about to do.

It was your typical situation that Mona had seen many times in her career. She had often visited prisons before and knew the signs of staff members having affairs while on duty. The nurse was you typical blonde b*** with a big chest with the guard being a huge Hispanic with a massive chest. It was obvious that they were doing this on the sly given that they were in a barely lit room with no cameras to spot them; probably on some sort of break or had someone covering for them since things like this were always against the rules. Isolated facilities like this always had situations like this which provided opportunities for Mona to take advantage of. While Spencer, Mike, and Toby would not know what to do in this kind of situation; Mona was different.

"Hi; getting a little naughty are we?" Mona asked in a sweet voice while giving the two lovers the most evil smile she could muster. Both their eyes widened and they struggled to compose themselves until Mona put her hand up for them to stop.

"Listen, I am not here to lecture you on whatever rules you are breaking; I really couldn't care less. I do need information though and I think a trade is more than fair; my silence for whatever you two can tell me on what I want to know," offered the NSA Agent; being honest but threatening at the same time.

"What do you want to know?" asked the blonde, looking at her male companion in fear. He seemed equally nervous but Mona could see that he knew he was powerless in this situation.

"I imagine you both knew who Charles DiLaurentis was?" she asked them and both the guard and nurse seemed to recognize the name automatically.

"I need to know who his female visitor was since it wasn't listed," Mona answered and both looked a little nervous at that.

"How do you know he had a female visitor?" inquired the guard and Mona noted that there seemed to be a trace of genuine fear in his voice.

"I have my ways and I want to know everything you know about her. None of this as well as what you tell me will make it back to anyone; I promise," Mona genuinely said and the two seemed to believe her. It only took a few seconds for both the guard and nurse to start blabbering; seeming to hold nothing back.

Mona was surprised at what she found out.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Mike was finding it hard not to punch the guy.

As he sat there on the chair and listened to the Administrator protest his warrant, the young man was starting to lose his patience.

It was pretty obvious to Mike that the man was trying to hide something; given the huge amount of protest. To his credit, the young man was very polite when he had entered the office, which Toby taught him to do. He explained the situation as much as he could without revealing too much of the case and asked for permission to go through the prison's systems; staying civil the entire time. Mike was immediately surprised how the older man suddenly burst out and started yelling at him, catching the young officer off guard. He couldn't even get a word in as he was accused of various things, some of which were completely outlandish.

Whatever was up, it had to be big given the amount of yelling that was going on. The two were currently alone in the office and Mike had no doubt that the Administrator could be heard well in the hallway; though no other people seem to be running to find out what was going on.  
This told the young officer that the other staff either saw this commonly and they were simply used to it or they had prepared for something like this because something happened that was being covered up. He had a gut feeling that it had something to do with the case since it was too much of a coincidence that the man was uptight about something in the exact same place where A had been imprisoned. He was even starting to think that maybe there was something up with Charles's suicide since everyone focused on that he was really dead and not how he really died.

Mike was about to get in on the shouting match himself since he was getting tired of the Administrator and his accusations when Mona came into the room. There was something in her eyes that told Mike that it was in his best interest to say out her way; seeing a similar look back when they had been still dating. Her face was completely blank but she gave the Administrator a hard look, which seemed to shut him up completely. She walked over to his desk and slapped something down on it which Mike leaned in closer to see. It was her badge and while the NSA designation was obvious to see, there were other coding on it that made it clear where she worked; the other coding making it radically different from Spencer's badge.

The way his face became pale at the sight of it, there was definitely something more to the badge than what it appeared to be.

"Tell me about Dr. Tabitha Clark," Mona ordered as she sat down in the chair next to Mike. For some reason, he couldn't build up the courage to ask who that was and let the young woman take the lead.

"She's one of our main psychologists; the woman is on sabbatical," answered the older man in a slightly disorganized way and Mike knew instantly that he was lying.

"Administrator Nelson; do you see my badge there?" Mona inquired in a sweet manner and motioned to the ID still on the desk; that chilled her companion to the bone since it was a tone he was quite familiar with. Instead of answering, the older man just stayed silent and slowly nodded.

"I know you used to work in the Federal Government for quite a number of years so you should recognize these little symbols here; so you better answer my questions truthfully," threatened the young woman with no emotion in her voice at all as she pointed at a few of the things on her badge. While there were many things that Mike missed about Mona, her acting like this wasn't one of them.

"We haven't seen her for a few months. We discovered some time ago that she had stolen most of the files on Charles DiLaurentis," informed Mr. Nelson nervously as he began to sweat.

"And you didn't report this?" Mike asked with his mouth open, astounded by what he was hearing. Something like this long needed to be reported since it often led to legal issues.

"We were trying to handle this in house; this facility did not want to be in the news for something that wasn't our fault. We followed all Federal-mandated protocol and Dr. Clark somehow slipped through the cracks," stated the older man solemnly, almost in a defeated tone of voice.

"Why don't you tell us the whole story," ordered Mike since he was still somewhat confused about the backstory to everything. Mona nodded and crossed her arms, giving the Administrator a hard, cold look.

"Charles DiLaurentis was a troublesome prisoner and we had to take extra steps to make sure he was secure; especially given his heightened intelligence. He was allowed no electronics to speak of and everyone who came into contact with Mr. DiLaurentis was searched head to toe. We also had to keep him isolated from the other prisoners after a certain incident took place," explained the Administrator to the two people in front of him.

"What happened?" asked Mona casually, not really surprised by what she was hearing.

Back in Rosewood High, the young woman had prided herself at being the smartest person in the school. She had managed to fool everyone around her and manipulate every one of her enemies; forcing them to dance at her will. It had been enjoyable to punish them given that they had treated Mona and some others horribly. Then Charles came and stole everything she had ever built; turning her back into the victim. Worse, the man had outsmarted her on many occasions and even trapped her in the Dollhouse; forcing the young woman to act like Alison. He had humiliated her and to this day, Mona still had nightmares about the whole experience. She had been glad when he had committed suicide though she wished she could have done the deed herself.

"There was another patient who we believed Charles manipulated into jumping off a ledge; though the man was a convicted r*** so it didn't cause any problem. We couldn't prove what Charles had done it but we had to place him in a more isolated cell at the edge of the facility. We went through three different therapists until Dr. Clark came along," informed Mr. Nelson as he recalled the memory.

"So she was his doctor?" Mike inquired, writing this down on the little notepad he kept in his pocket. While other officers used their cell phones to jot down useful information, the young man preferred paper and pen since he could write faster with it.

"Yes; her encounter with him was by accident since she was originally assigned to another patient," answered the older man.

"Is that patient still here?" Mike asked since it might be relevant to the case.

"No; the patient was released after serving her sentence. Dr. Clark had requested to become responsible for Mr. DiLaurentis shortly before," answered the Administrator.

"What was the relationship between Dr. Clark and Charles?" Mona asked, already knowing the answer. The two love birds had told her quite a lot but she wanted to hear it from the older man himself instead of relying on idle gossip.

"At first, it was professional and seemed to go well. Charles seemed to be accepting his treatment and we didn't see the point of interfering with Dr. Clark until a guard mentioned that the two seemed to be acting a little unprofessional. There were unauthorized night time visits and the mood between the two seemed to be a little closer than what regulations allowed. When Mr. DiLaurentis killed himself, it had been in her company and we became suspicious," answered the older man which caught the two by surprise; even Mona since the two lovers hadn't mentioned that little tidbit.

"Are you stating that Charles DiLaurentis was murdered?" Mike asked, completely astounded on what the Administrator just hinted.

"Officially, Charles DiLaurentis committed suicide and the coroner had confirmed that; supported by a second autopsy. There were irregularities though and we began an in house investigation; even bringing outside help from the prison system for support," informed Mr. Nelson and there was a firmness in his voice.

"Didn't you inform the family?" Mona inquired, surprised that they would keep something like Charles's possible murder a secret.

"The DiLaurentis Family seemed more concerned with him being really dead than possibly being murdered so we never told them," answered the Administrator with a shrug. Personally, he had been surprised on how relieved they had been; though understandable given what Charles had done during his many years in life.

"What do you know about Dr. Clark?" the young man in front of him asked. Mona was also curious since she had yet to look the woman up on her phone.

"That she was single, graduated early from college as well as attained her license to practice, and had a high IQ rating. From her application, she was a foster and supposedly did not know her birth parents; emancipated before she turned eighteen. The woman often kept to herself and insisted on bringing her own food to work; even going as far as to cook her own meals in the cafeteria. It was a bit weird but as long as she did her job, it really wasn't a concern to us," answered the older man simply.

"Until Charles," said the younger woman in front of him, starting to understand their possible suspect; though still too early too completely know for certain.

"Pretty much; she would spend her free time with him and their conversations sometimes included things that strayed outside the therapist-patient relationship from what several nurses as well as guards testified. It was rumored they might have been secretly engaging in sexual relations though there wasn't any hard evidence. By the time we decided to make a move and place Dr. Clark on suspension, Charles DiLaurentis died," informed the Administrator.

"You said that his death was suspicious; explain that," Mike ordered, wanting clarification since it was an important piece of information.

"Supposedly, the young man committed suicide by overdosing on his prescription meds. The coroner however noticed hemorrhaging in his eyes that told him that Charles could have been suffocated; though we were not sure with what. We were going to arrange an autopsy to be sure but the brother, Jason DiLaurentis, was insistent that we merely confirm that it was indeed his brother and turn his body over to cremation. So we filed his death a suicide since we didn't have hard proof that it was indeed murder," explained Mr. Nelson in a serious tone.

"But you had your suspicions," Mona stated as more as a fact than a question. It didn't surprise her that Jason wanted the affair dealt with as quickly as possible given what Charles had done in life.

"Indeed; we order a subtle review of the incident and found that some of the security feed had been altered; though we never found proof of how. We watched Dr. Clark very closely and she didn't seem to act any different; which bothered us somewhat," said the older man.

"Why?" asked the young officer, curious.

"Common sense would dictate that a therapist would show some emotion in losing a patient; especially to something like suicide. The fact that Dr. Clark didn't show any emotion would be a cause of concern and raise some alarms," answered Mona before the Administrator; who then nodded in agreement.

"If Dr. Clark did kill Charles, why didn't you just arrest her; or even confided her to the facility until a thorough investigation was completed?" Mike inquired, not understanding why the prison didn't just make sure the Doctor was secure.

"We had no hard proof of any wrong doing and we didn't want to tip her off. By the time we could move against her, she committed the theft and escaped the prison without a trace," stated the Administrator reluctantly.

"What did she steal besides the records on Charles?" questioned the NSA Agent; while she was tempted to report the incompetence that had occurred here, she couldn't completely blame the Administrator and his staff given what they were dealing with.

"Just that as far as we could tell; she stole the hard records and made copies of the digital ones," answered the older man truthfully. If there was anything else she had taken, they were not able to find out what it was.

"Did she have an office?" Mona inquired, hoping that was the case since she wanted to study Dr. Clark's workplace.

"Yes; right his way," answered Nelson as he rose from his chair and led the two out of the office and down the hall. It was three minutes before they arrived in another part of the facility; a smaller section where the offices lay.

"We left everything the way it was in order to make sure that our investigation was thorough," stated the Administrator as he opened the door to Clark's office.

At first impression, it seemed like another doctor's office in Mona's opinion. The carpet was clean and grey, the walls were pure while with cheap plaster with there were various degrees on them, and there was a wooden desk with the usual computer and other essentials. There were a few potted plants in the corners of the room as well as a few bookshelves with the usual reading material for a room like this. That was what also bothered Mona; that it was too much like another Doctor's office and felt that it was just too fake looking. It lacked any personality that other therapists liked the incorporate in their work space which caused alarm bells to go off in the young woman's head.

"And you found nothing out of the ordinary?" Mona asked as she walked around the office, studying every little bit to confirm her suspicions.

"No; her computer was completely clean, though we weren't sure if it was because she had scrubbed it of information or not," answered the older man.

"She would do that; you can go," Mona said, more as an order than anything else. The Administrator seemed to get the hint by her tone and simply smiled before leaving the two alone in the room.

"What are you thinking?" Mike asked Mona, sensing something was up with her as he watched the young woman walk about the room as if she were studying something. If there was something here that was relevant, he couldn't see it.

"She didn't work here; Dr. Clark has another place where she operated at somewhere in this facility," stated the NSA Agent as she looked at the reading material on one of the bookshelves.

"Where?" inquired the young man, not doubting the young woman since he knew that she was probably right.

"No clue; we might need the others as well as the staff to search the facility," answered Mona, noting the dust on the books that seemed to indicate to her that they have never been read.

"What else?" he asked again, sensing that there was more to it than just that.

"Tabitha Clark is definitely our A; we need a photo of her ASAP as well as find out more about," the young woman stated and it seemed like she fully believed that in Mike's opinion.

"I agree; the way the Administrator described her, it sort of fits the usual personality of who A could be," he said, instantly regretting his words since he had forgotten that at one time, Mona had been A as well. If Mona was offended, she didn't show it and simply gave him a look that told him to go contact Toby.

Once Mike was gone, Mona went over to the empty chair behind the desk and sat back as she booted up the computer. The way everything was set up on the desk, Mona felt that she was definitely right in that the desk was hardly used; which told her that the computer was probably never used in any capacity. Once the computer was fully booted, her suspicions were confirmed when she went through it and found no signs of it being scrubbed; just good as new. Back when she was A, Mona had a similar thing with her home computer in order not to draw any suspicions from her mother as well as Hanna. Everything in the office was completely fake and all for show to the outside world.

Which meant that Dr. Clark's real work space had to be located somewhere else.

There was a chance that the Doctor had simply destroyed her Lair on the way out; when she had somehow escaped the facility without anyone knowing. That is what Mona would have done if Toby hadn't been her partner at the time; making sure that no one would be able to use her things other than herself. It ended up happening anyways once Charles had stolen her Lair and taken possession of all of her things; mostly because he had used the information about Toby's mother to have the young man steal it for her back then. It occurred to her that Toby still owed Mona for that all those years ago; especially since that little thing had caused the Liars to think that Mona was still A. She might have to remind him of that if he became too snarky with her again when it came to Spencer.

Wherever the Lair was, Mona would find it since time was of the essence. She fully believed that Tabitha Clark was A though she was curious if that was because she had always planned to don the persona or this was somehow Charles's attempt to play the game from beyond the grave. It could be that Charles's death was an assisted suicide and not murder; though Mona could not know for certain. When he went to prison, he had seemed to act as if he had been defeated though he gloated on all the damage he had caused in his wake. She also knew that he was just as possessive as she was and would not let anyone start the game again without him. That told Mona that maybe Charles met someone that was far more diabolical than he was; stealing the A Game from him as he had with Mona.

Which scared her more than anything else.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Spencer and the others walked through the darkness.

Power had yet to be turned on for the building they were in and with it being nighttime outside, they were forced to rely on flashlights to get around.

Currently, the four of them were exploring an unused section of the facility; searching for Dr. Clark's real workplace. Mike and Mona had started the search in another section before being joined by the other two members of their quartet. It turned out that the psychiatric prison had been originally a military facility built during the Cold War; thus it was a lot bigger than what was currently thought. There were whole sections of prison that were not in use and long abandoned as well as closed off; which no one had been in for years. Mona had to download a complete blueprint of the place for them to fully search as well as the sections that were off the books; which she got using her clearance.

While Spencer had been a little hesitant to buy that this Tabitha Clark could be their killer, she didn't have any other ideas and decided to roll with Mona's lead unless something else came up. She had been a little caught off guard by the idea that her brother had been murdered; still awash of emotions since she was never close to him. Charles had been Jason's twin and imagined that he would be the angriest once the truth came out; though she didn't know how Alison would take it. Charles had caused everyone so much pain, despite that he had also been wronged, and it was hard to sympathize what had happened to him. Maybe in the end it was karma that he had been murdered by someone who had been smarter than him; even the natural succession of the mantle of being A.

"What used to be here?" asked Mike as he shined his light into an empty room, seeing nothing but a decaying room with the cracked floors and peeling plaster.

"Barracks of sorts for soldiers and other personnel; this place was supposed to house an entire regiment of troops for security," answered Mona as she checked another room along with Toby, finding nothing as well.

"I'm surprised they didn't just bulldoze all of this when the converted this place into a prison," Spencer said as she continued to look around. While the four of them were searching this building, there were other elements of the prison staff that were looking in the other abandoned structures.

"They were planning to expand the prison so that every structure can be used; thus increasing the number of inmates and other personnel. There was a lack of money though as well as a desire to spread the inmates out so that there wasn't a risk of a massive jailbreak," informed the NSA Agent, reciting what she had read when looking up the plans for the place. It made sense to her given the risk of putting all the eggs in one basket; though in this case, more people just like Charles who could pose a risk of escaping and causing havoc.

"And you really think this Tabitha Clark has a lair somewhere here?" Toby asked, speaking up for the first time since coming here. Given his history with places like this, from his stint in juvie to his mother, the police officer really didn't want to be here.

"I do; she was always working in the prison and her temporary residence on the grounds was also free of activity. That means that some trace of her lair has to be on site," Mona stated with full belief.

"Unless she took it with her when she left," countered Spencer, getting tired of searching the empty dark rooms for something that might not be here anymore.

"That might be the case but we should at least look for some remnants; there might be a residual clue," the shorter woman argued back, trying to keep her tone civil. She hated when someone disagreed with her; especially someone who was intellectually inferior to her.

"I think we are wasting our time; if Doctor Tabitha Clark is A, then we need to focus on finding her and not look for some mythical lair," the FBI Agent angrily stated as she flashed her light in Mona's face.

"And where should we look Spencer? Dr. Clark is in the wind and we know next to nothing about her because her foster records are still waiting to be unsealed for our investigation; we can't even ask a friend since she had none. This is best course of action," stated the shorter woman, snapping at Spencer and shining her flashlight back at the young woman.

"If you are right; we still don't know if Tabitha Clark is really A or even connected to all this. She might have killed Charles but there is no known reason for her to even be A; I think we are barking up the wrong tree," Spencer said as a matter of fact, simply crossing her arms in the darkness.

"At least I can be right; something that you have never been," countered the NSA Agent with a condescending smirk, making a subtle point.

"What the Hell is supposed to mean?" Spencer demanded to know, her rage starting to rise and wanting to wipe that smirk off the woman's face. While she had no doubt that she could take Mona, there was the chance that Mona knew some moves from her time in the NSA.

"What I mean Spencer is that you have never, ever been right on anything. I seem to recall that that you were always wrong on who A was back in high school; from Ian to Ezra, you have always gotten it wrong," Mona simply said with a trace of smugness in her voice. Mike was unable to say anything since he had no clue what to do while Toby knew he had to speak up before it's too late.

"I figured out you and Charles were A," stated the FBI Agent, fighting back against the accusation that she was always wrong.

"Oh please; you only figured out that I was A because you were in my lair and my things were scattered everywhere; Hanna could have figured that out. You only figured out Charles because you found his name in the Dollhouse including that old tape of him with his mother and brother. Things have to be in your damn face for you to figure it out and even then you have trouble; especially those who you accuse," Mona said with a snarl as old memories came popping up.

"Excuse me?" Spencer asked, her tone more of confusion than anger. She wasn't sure what Mona meant by that last line.

"Every person you have ever accused has had something bad happen to them; even though they were innocent. You accused Ian of being A and he ended up dead; with your sister having to suffer the consequences. You accused Garret of killing Alison and he was murdered; not to mention Wilden who you also accused of something. Ezra got shot because of your accusations, Jenna nearly drowned, your mother left your father because you thought he killed Alison's mother, and even Toby here has suffered because of you. Let's face it Spencer, if I hadn't come to help then some poor person would end up in a grave because you were too idiotic to put the pieces together," Mona said to the young woman with such a passion that Spencer couldn't come up with anything to say. While she stood there and simply was frozen in thought, Toby stepped in between the two women and stared at Mona.

"That's enough Mona; you and Mike go explore the rest of this building while we head out to another location," Toby firmly ordered firmly, ending this argument between the two women before things escalated even further.

"And here is the shiny knight in armor stepping in to protect his girlfriend; how cute," Mona sarcastically said, turning around and walking angrily down the hall. Mike took one last look at Toby before running to catch up with the shorter woman.

"Are you okay?" Toby asked his girlfriend, noticing her heavy breathing and that she was shaking in the darkness; assuming that it was out of rage.

"I want to slap her," Spencer stated, trying to bring her emotions under control. She was so angry right now that she wanted to just scream.

"Please don't; we do need her and I am afraid what she would do to you if you did strike her," Toby said to the young woman; almost pleading.

"And you think she is right," Spencer said in anger with Toby confused if it was directed at him or still at Mona.

"No I don't; you are a smart woman," stated the older man; though he had to lie. While he wouldn't say it out loud, some of Mona's words rang true.

"Well I think she is right and that's the problem. Everyone I have accused of wrongdoing has suffered because of me," admitted the FBI Agent in defeat. The thought had occurred to her some years ago though she never could fully believe it.

It was funny to hear it come from someone who knew her better than she knew herself.

"Maybe; but you are no longer that young, inexperienced, brash teenager. You are a mature FBI Agent who has worked her way to maturity and learned from the mistakes of her past," Toby countered gently in an attempt to cheer Spencer up. She appreciated what he was doing and smiled at him before giving him a loving peck on his lips.

"Thank you; but Mona is right and I have to consider her ideas might be able to find this A," Spencer said as she and Toby made their way out of the building to the one next door. Toby was about to say something about ending her feud with Mona when Mike suddenly came running up.

"We found it," was all that the young man said as he motioned for the couple to follow him down the hall and into the darkness. The two took off quickly after him and turned the corner, seeing a light at the end; coming from a large crack in the wall that was large enough for someone to step through.

"Wow," was all Spencer said as she and the other two men stepped inside the large space.

It was definitely a room; though more of a vault than anything else with the walls being made of metal while the floor was concrete. It was able to provide power though with there being multiple outlets; one of which providing light to a tall lamp in the center of the room with a rather bright light bulb. Besides the lamp, there was a small wooden table and chair in the center; which was bare of anything though the dust outlines showed that there could have been a laptop at one time as well as other items. In one of the corners was an old metal cot that had a blanket and pillow; showing signs of use though Spencer couldn't understand why anyone would sleep in a place like this.

It was what was on the walls that really caught Spencer's attention and it took her back to when she had first entered the Lair of A; when it had been Mona. There were newspaper clippings posted with some going back all the way to aftermath of when Charles was caught; when the national press was covering the A affair extensively. There were also pictures of the various A messages that had been sent to the girls during the whole time they were harassed as well as ones that Spencer never received; making them a possibility of them be original to this new A. A few pages of Ezra's book was on the wall as well; some going into detail on the level of sophistication Charles had operated back then.

Though this had definitely had been a lair at one time, it lacked the creepiness of the others.

"I'm sorry; you were right," Spencer said to Mona as she joined the shorter woman at her side.

"I'm sorry too; though what I said was correct," stated the NSA Agent and Spencer nodded, looking at the picture of her as a teen on the wall. Besides her, there were other photos of the girls back then including most of the guys; with the exception of Mike and Caleb.

"Do you think that she moved the lair before or after abducting the first victim?" inquired the taller woman as she looked around. Toby had stepped out to call CSU while Mike went to call off the search.

"After; the way that everything is on the walls, I don't think anything was taken. Every A Lair, from mine to Charles, had things posted relevant to what was going on currently," Mona answered, remembering how her setup was back then.

"I agree; especially since she could not have kept anyone here without at least someone knowing. While the prison isn't exactly secure on the inside, it would still be hard to move someone in and keep them alive without the officials knowing," stated the FBI Agent, walking over to the bed while pulling out a pair of latex gloves. She moved the blanket around but didn't see anything of relevance.

"Plus, any State Auditor would notice the increased power usage and trace it back to this place at some point. I think Dr. Clark was merely putting things together here until she was ready to move on to the next stage of the Game," the other woman added as she pulled out her phone to see if she had a signal.

"But why is she doing this? My training has been telling me that there is more to this than simple insanity. With A, it was always revenge and we have found no connection between Tabitha Clark and the other victims; and I am just not seeing that here," Spencer said, now more confused than ever. This Lair seems like it was designed for fact finding more than anything else in the young woman's opinion.

"Maybe that is our problem; we are only looking at this at a rational point of view and not as it should appear. Yes, when I was A as well as Charles, it was primarily about revenge though we also saw this as a game as well. It could be that Doctor Tabitha Clark views this whole thing as nothing but a game; one of which she is the puppet master," Mona speculated as she read one of the pages from Ezra's book; which detailed the time that Charles had placed the girls in the Dollhouse and made them do what he wanted.

"Which tells me that maybe Tabitha Clark hasn't had the best childhood though we have yet to find out much about her," said Spencer, sounding disappointed.

"Well we can go over what we know about her just by what we see her; you have a degree in psychology just like I do so what do you see?" Mona asked her, causing Spencer to look at the room differently.

"Well she likes to be isolated, not wanting to communicate with anyone she doesn't have to. The woman likes to plan ahead given all these clippings on the walls and she must have used Charles as a lab rat; or even a source for information. Given the overall state of this place, she is not one for comfort and could care less about it; this tells me that she has never really lived anywhere that was happy for her and that she just used anything she could to survive," Spencer observed, using her training from the academy for guidance.

"Unless she took it all with her when she left; though I think what we see is how she originally kept this place. I also think that everything relevant to her plans was on that laptop and she was using it to maybe scout out a new location for her lair," Mona said, adding a few observations of her own into the mix.

"You think she could get an internet signal out this far without the prison noticing?" inquired the taller woman questionably.

"Our main suspect is an expert hacker and I have no doubt that she could use the prison's resources without them knowing. There is also the possibility that she simply had an attachment to the laptop to directly tap into a satellite for her own private internet usage," speculated the NSA Agent.

"You could do that now; just tap into satellites for internet use?" Spencer asked, quite surprised given her lack of computer knowledge. She never bothered learning anything other than the basics back at the academy and left all the rest to Caleb if she needed something more.

"Oh yes; the tech isn't on the open market but if you know where to look, you could get one. That is why it's going to be complicated in trying to track Tabitha Clark through the net," informed the shorter woman with a sigh. It was annoying when the perpetrators were intelligent since it made it all the harder to find them.

"So we'll just have to find her the old fashioned way; maybe even how we found Charles," suggested Spencer with a bit of hope in her voice.

"He was arrogant to be sure and we might be able to use that against Doctor Clark since she might be suffering the same fallacy," Mona finished, getting what the other woman was getting at; smiling at the thought of it.

Toby and Mike watched them and smiled at one another with a sense of relief; feeling that they now had a chance of acting like a real team.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Tabitha sipped her soup, relishing the peace.

Sitting in a tiny bistro in Philadelphia, she was in her usual spot near the window; watching as the people of the city passed by.

She made a point to come to this place every day at the same time; her usual routine which the staff was used to. The young woman had been coming here for about six months and ordered the same thing, never asking for anything else. Tabitha loved minestrone soup and had gone from place to place in order to find a restaurant that served the kind of soup; finally finding this place in an older section of the city. It was a small family owned business in an old red brick building that had a classic look inside. The floors were made of a brown wood and the walls were painted red with images from Italy on them. The tables were all handmade oak as well as the chairs; giving a nice family atmosphere.

Of course, Tabitha Clark couldn't care less about the family setting as well as the staff; she was just here for the soup. Given her background, family was something that she could never really get into; her only real friends being her dolls. Since she was a fully trained therapist with a master's degree in psychology, the young woman knew she had some sort of mental disorder that needed to be treated. She didn't care though since unlike her patients, Tabitha fully embraced what she was and nurtured it. She was smart enough to manage her disease, even using it to make the world a better place. The young woman was like a gardener pruning an endless yard full of weeds; getting some solace along the way.

Speaking of which, she was surprised that her latest project was taking so long to break; given that the woman was a drug addict like Alice. Unlike Alice though, her victim was an angry drunk whose stubbornness was a shield to mask her inner pain. Tabitha had seen it before in past patients and knew that she just needed to step up her game; maybe even going for some good old sleep deprivation to break the woman. It would be a new thing for her to do since the last two dolls had broke pretty quickly after only a few days of starving them. She had confidence though that she knew what to do since she had just the right reading material on the subject given that she knew where to look on the internet. Charles had also taught her a few things but she liked to do her own research other than relying on someone else's.

As soon as she was done with her soup, Tabitha stood up and left a solid twenty dollar bill on the table to cover both the food and the tip. The staff never bothered to collect her money before she left given that she was a valued as well as trusted customer; which was interesting seeing that she never really communicated with them. In fact, other than getting what she wanted, the woman never really talked to anyone unless she had to. Her previous job was sometimes unbearable since it required having to deal with people she considered lower than herself. Tabitha knew she was the smartest person in the prison and found it degrading to even doing what was required of her. Charles had changed all that and she learned a great deal from him until the young man was no longer useful.

Tabitha then discarded him like a ruined doll; which he was anyways since in the end, the young man was a failure.

Walking down the street, Tabitha kept her arms at her sides and eyes straight forward; expressing an aura of superiority. Every person she passed, she ignored without giving them a second thought. Unless they were in the middle of some task, Tabitha forced people to go around her as if they were in the way. While no real conflict arose because of it, it did provided the occasional insult which she promptly ignored. Insults and mocking had been with her all her life; from the various foster homes to the schools she attended to get her degrees. The young woman had created a shield though to block it from affecting her though and it had allowed her to accomplish her goals when others would have broken down. What was an added benefit was the fact that she had done it all on her own without any help.

She approached her home, an old two story office building, and unlocked the front door before proceeding inside. The building was suited to hold half a dozen small firms, though now converted for her personal use. Made of old brick and mortar, Tabitha had it completely restored on the outside to project a classic feel while converting the inside for her own personal use. It had taken quite a bit of money to do the job as well as making sure that the contractors had a sense of ambiguity; so that her privacy was protected. It had cost her a little extra to make sure certain things stayed off the books but it was worth it in the end. Her game would not be interrupted by anything no matter what the cost; money not being an issue for her. As A, she had an unlimited source of money due to some side businesses to fund her projects.

Once she was inside, Tabitha sealed the door behind her and headed to her own personal space; smiling at the various security cameras along the way. The inside of the building was wired with more surveillance equipment than a typical CIA office in order to make sure she was well protected. While the block had its own private officers that patrolled the block and crime was practically nonexistent in this part of the city, the young woman was extremely paranoid. Besides the cameras, there were invisible sensors that lined the halls as well as other surprises in case someone broke in; or if the police decided to come calling. Given that she had left at least two bodies so far, it was only a matter of time before it happened. Once she was past the main part of the building, Tabitha slipped through a hidden panel to her own private space.

The room itself served a variety of purposes; also being the only place she hung out in unless she needed to check up on her subjects. Large enough for at least three people to sleep in and had a solid wooden floor with black colored walls; it held everything from a work space to watch her victims to a bedding area where she needed to rest with that being a small cot in the corner. She never really slept so having a fancy bed was not a thing for her. The cot itself was something that one bought for camping trips with two simple pillows as well as a green comforter; providing for both the heat and the cold. There was a small table next to the cot with a desk lamp for reading as well as some reading material stacked on the floor; which were mostly books dealing her chosen field of study. Next to the sleeping area was a small bathroom that held a toilet, sink, and a small shower for her to bathe in. A dresser lay not too far away which had her clothing as well as a large closet.

Her work area was the fanciest part of the room and her own private kingdom so to speak. There was a large light brown desk made of redwood, imported from the west coast, which had all of her material used to deal with her subjects as well as a small green desk lamp for illumination. In front of the desk and mounted to the wall were many flat screens that showed every room in the place as well as smaller monitors for the outside. Everything was wired to a central control panel that was used to activate the various equipment placed inside the rooms to control her victims; from speakers telling them what to do as well as other things that could be used to punish them. Tabitha could even control the temperature of the various rooms in order to really make it appear as if she was some sort of deity. Her last doll had an issue with the cold so Tabitha lowered the temperature to forty degrees for punishment.

Taking a seat in her brown leather chair, Tabitha watched as her latest victim defiantly sat on the floor; refusing to eat any of the food she had provided. Ever since the young doctor had abducted the drunk from an AA meeting a few days ago, the victim had refused to participate in her assigned activities; even trying to break out at various times. The room was made of brick and plaster, supported by solid metal panels on the inside which could not be breached. It was designed as a room for a typical teenage girl; full of clothing that matched the size of the victim and styled the way Tabitha wanted. Before abducting the woman, the Doctor had gotten to know the young woman rather well thus knew what was needed to make her comfortable. Charles had given her quite a detailed setup of his dollhouse and Tabitha had mimicked him with her setup; with a few tweaks for the modern age.

When Tabitha left for her time in the bistro, her subject was usually allowed some time to herself for personal things; she had even left some food that she had cooked herself. The building had the most modern kitchen that money could buy with everything needed for meals. Her current abductee was refusing to do anything; though she still complied with Tabitha's orders when prompted by force. The young woman's weakness was loud noise due to sensitivity with her ears; so the Doctor blasted a siren when she needed to. The room was soundproof so there was no risk of any of the neighbors hearing anything. In fact, the whole building had been converted to suppress any noise coming from inside as well as outside for maximum privacy. After several minutes of the siren blaring, the subject complied with the orders.

It was by luck that her latest abductee had natural blonde hair; which meant that she didn't need to color her hair. On the wall directly above the main screen were pictures of six young women from when they were in high school. Though she really wanted to do her own thing, Tabitha decided to start out with the girls whom Charles's harassed as a template and practice until she considered herself ready. The young doctor had researched the six extensively; some based on Charles's journals, and knew how to dress up her own victims to match his. She also kept tabs on them after high school though she never managed to find out where Mona Vanderwaal disappeared to. So far, she had left the templates of Hanna Marin and Aria Montgomery for the police to find; with Alison DiLaurentis as her next doll to be discarded. She planned to leave that one at City Hall where a small park lay.

Something on her computer caught Tabitha's attention away from her doll and she saw that she had an e-mail from one of her sources. Ever since the first body had been dumped, the young doctor had been paying special attention to how the investigation had been going. Given her massive amount of funds available to her, it was easy to hire a few people to take photos of the crime scenes from a distance; then having them emailed to her directly in order to protect her privacy. She had been especially surprised when it was revealed that Spencer Hastings, Toby Cavanaugh, and Mike Montgomery were involved in the case; all whom she had learned about through Charles and his journals. This gave her a sense of euphoria since this made the game all the more fun; which was the only reason why she was doing all of this.

Clicking on the email, a series of photos came up; all taken at her former job at the prison. She had several of the guards on her payroll in case the police managed to come by; which had happened a lot sooner than she would have thought. Tabitha shouldn't have been caught off guard by that, since Spencer had been a part of the A Game before along with Toby and Mike; so it was probably likely that they had caught one of her A Messages. This of course led them to the prison and to Charles; then to her since she was his therapist and the one he was closest to.

It probably didn't help that the prison was already looking at her for some infractions as well as the possible death of Charles DiLaurentis; which she was responsible for.

However in the end, she really wasn't worried that the police knew all about her. Doctor Tabitha Clark had changed her entire appearance since working at the prison and had enough aliases' to keep herself hidden from the police indefinitely. Her money was in dummy accounts all over the country and there was no paper trail to be traced back to her. She also made sure to do things differently than Charles in terms of her own Lair and Dollhouse; making sure that her enemies would be looking in all the wrong places. She wasn't using some abandoned bunker out in the middle of nowhere or an unused factory; she was right in the middle of town without anyone one the wiser. Her location was also just a few miles away from the Federal Section of the city and she often laughed that all this was happening right under their noses.

One photo really caught her attention and she clicked on it to make it bigger; her eyes widened at the person shown. Things clicked in her mind on why everything was being traced back to her since it was news to her that there was a new member of the team out to stop her. This put everything into perspective and she smiled on how the game just got more fun. From her countless interviews from Charles, he only considered one person a true threat and that was Mona Vanderwaal; which was why he made sure that she was knocked out of the game often since the times she worked with the other girls, there was headway made against him. Tabitha could tell that her patient had admired Mona and that had perked her interest since according to Charles, the teen had never broke; in the dollhouse and out. Going over his journals extensively, Tabitha had learned to admire Mona herself after studying her profile; taking time to go to other sources such as Ezra Fitzgerald's book as well as her Radley file. The young doctor couldn't observe Mona since she had disappeared but maybe now was the perfect opportunity; she thought as she printed out a picture.

Since her latest subject had another hour of free time, Tabitha decided to pay someone a visit. She thought about changing her attire since she was currently dressed in a blue pantsuit; never really liking skirts since they were always too flashy for her tastes. As someone who never dated, Tabitha Clark was someone who always was in pants no matter what. Given her short nature as well as the fact that the young woman never wore makeup, guys never gave her a second glance. Her really pale complexion often was mistaken for her being sick; which wasn't the case since she never really ventured outside unless she absolutely had to. Figuring that she was fine and wouldn't be that long, Tabitha decided to stay as she was.

Rising from her chair, she grabbed her purse and headed out of the room to go back outside. After locking up behind her, the young woman hailed a cab and gave the driver an address; which earned her a strange look given that it was for a more seedy section of the city. When they arrived at her destination, a beaten down apartment building, she got out but gave the driver some money for him to stay where he was since she wouldn't be long. Then Tabitha pulled out a burner phone and sent out a text to one of the residents of the apartment complex before heading to a small space on the side of the building to wait. After a few minutes, a gruff looking man in a pair of blue jeans and white shirt came out to where she was.

"What do you need?" asked Jonathan Myers, curious on why the woman needed to talk to him in the middle of the day. The man was on her payroll and a former cop who had been busted for corruption; now a low level enforcer for the mob.

"This woman's name is Mona Vanderwaal and I need you to bring her to the usual spot," ordered Tabitha as she handed him a picture as well as an envelope full of cash.

"Where is she? I can get her to you tonight," stated the older man as he took the contents from her hand. He was someone who didn't care less about abducting people as long as it paid well; and didn't cause problems though he was always careful.

"I don't know; I will have an address for you in an hour or so. I need her alive so be careful since she might be problematic," informed the young woman. Since Mona was working with the others, it was assumed that she was involved in law enforcement somehow; which only added to the fun of the game.

"This short thing; please, it won't be an issue," stated Jonathan with a scoff. This was what she liked about the man; that he did any job and never asked any questions.

Tabitha nodded and then headed back to the cab after their business was concluded. It took only ten minutes for her to arrive back at her lair; finding that her new doll hadn't moved from her spot and still defiant. Ignoring her for now, Tabitha went to her computer and put Mona's name into a special program to find out where she was staying; not bothering to look up which Agency the former teen was at. It took a while but the doctor managed to find an address for the residential section of town; sending the information to Jonathan. Since he was more than reliable, it was likely she would have Mona in her hands by morning; thus she needed to get a room ready for her. Since the role of Alison was being used, perhaps she use Mona as Emily or even Spencer for kicks.

Either way, she was going to have some fun tomorrow.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read and you should check out her stories!**


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Mona knew that there was something wrong when she walked through the door.

As she stood in the entry way of her house, there was a familiar tingling in her stomach that usually told her that something was off.

She had just arrived home from attending a meeting with Captain Tanner about the progress of the case so far. There was a full on search for Doctor Tabitha Clark as a likely suspect in the murders though there was no sign of her location so far. Tanner had promised to reach out to other States for possible help with the search though it was believed that the suspect was still operating within Pennsylvania's borders; possibly trying to make sure she didn't risk being caught in another State. There was talk of including more of the Federal Government for help though Spencer was still running point for the FBI aspect of the case. After the briefing, Toby had sent everyone hope for some well-deserved rest.

Over the years, Mona had learned to trust her instincts extensively; something taught to her by her mentor at the NSA. When out in the field, especially in foreign countries not always friendly to the United States, she had been saved by those instincts more than once. Since then, when she got the feeling in her stomach, Mona always went on full alert. Turning on the light in the entryway, the young woman dropped her bag and pulled out her weapon. She then slowly made her way to the front room, scanning the area for possible intruders. It was dark in the front room and she flipped on another light with nothing happening. Making sure she was still in the light, Mona pulled out her phone and sent out a text before a noise caught her attention. Once again, she slowly made her way into the darkness of the room and towards the source of the noise.

Mona kept an ear out for any breathing or footsteps while trying to control her own. So far, there was nothing but the young woman refused to relax her guard. She heard the noise again and went into the kitchen to see that there was some broken glass on the floor. Next to the back door, there was a busted in window and it appeared that someone had did it deliberately to get inside the house. Mona was confused suddenly since the alarm should have gone off and an alert sent to her phone; as was what was supposed to happen since she paid a good amount to the security firm. Once again, she took out her phone with her other hand to send another text when it happened. The young woman was distracted for only a second when something landed hard on her arm which then knocked her weapon out of her hand.

Clutching her arm in pain, Mona was then knocked to the ground by some sort of object. Acting on instinct, Mona ignored the pain in her arm and protected her head just as another blow came; obviously trying to knock her out. The injured arm took another direct blow and Mona winced through the pain while trying to see where her attacker was. When she got a good handle on where he or she was located, Mona swung her legs out in order to injure the intruder in some way. Her right leg made contact and the young woman heard something heavy fall to the ground followed by some loud cursing. She then looked to see where her gun was and saw that it was only a few feet away; squirming to try and get it.

"You bitch," snarled a voice from behind her and something grabbed her legs, sliding her backwards away from her weapon. It was definitely male and sounded like he was in rage which was a mixed blessing for Mona; more possible pain but more sloppiness as well.

She was about to kick him again when something bashed her left leg, causing Mona to cry out in pain. While she was temporarily stunned, a familiar smell culminated her nose and Mona's eyes widened when she realized that it was chloroform. It was apparent that this was not some sort of attack by a possible burglar but some sort of abduction. Planning quickly, Mona laid still while making it appear that the intruder had her pinned down. She then felt the cloth go to her nose and held her breath as was trained back when she first entered the Agency. Mona had practiced enough to where she could hold her breath for a good couple of minutes and she never had to use it up until now. After lying still for a good minute, the cloth left her mouth and the weight on her back lessened considerably. She closed her eyes when she was placed on her back and felt the male's breath.

"That wacky Doctor better pay me more for this," he said to her as she kept her eyes tightly closed in order to pretend she was out. When he was close enough, Mona slammed her head forward and made contact with the intruder's nose which made a loud crack.

A fist made contact with her right eye and Mona took in the pain while kneeing the abductor in the groin. He fell to his side and Mona once again rushed to her weapon that still lied in the same spot; panic starting to rise in her. Her fingers touched the grip of the handle when she heard the man behind her rush to his feet as well as the acquainted sound of a weapon being pulled from a holster. With her vision impaired as well as an evident danger to her life. Mona swung back towards the intruder and fired her gun; not caring where that the shots went wild. With her right eye blurry as well as the darkness of the room, the young woman had no clue where her bullets were going. One of them must have hit the abductor when she heard a cry out and something big falling to the floor. She didn't stop firing though and emptied the entire clip before the pain caused her to stop; lying back onto the floor and breathing hard.

Mona was just starting to lose consciousness when the back door suddenly banged open and people began pouring in. Someone went to her side while there was a call for an ambulance; the voice sounding like Agent John Hopkins, who was one of her subordinates. Another voice, Diana Nosh, replied that there was on the way and more voices sounded off; all people who worked for her at the office. Mona struggled to compose herself and regain her senses, fighting the need to want to sleep. Pain gripped her body but she ignored it and opened her eyes to more blurriness. Her right eye was still throbbing and Mona wouldn't be surprised if it was black in a few hours; which was going to look ugly. While the young woman wasn't focused on her looks as she did as a teen, she was still semi-conscious of how others viewed her.

"Stay still boss; paramedics are on the way," Agent Hopkins told her and he gently held her still.

"Is he dead?" Mona asked in a hoarse voice as she tried to ignore the pain all over her body.

"Looks like it; two in the chest," answered Diana as she came to her boss's side. She had the dead abductor's wallet in her hands and was going through it.

"Call Spencer and Toby; this guy worked for our suspect," ordered Mona as she started to lose consciousness again. The paramedics then arrived with a gurney and hoisted her onto it as more police began to arrive.

"My room is off limits; make sure it's secure," the young woman ordered again and her subordinates nodded in reply as she was wheeled away.

The trip to the hospital was a short one and once they arrived, Mona was seen to right away. The hospital staff helped her with her clothing given the amount of injuries on her body. She had a sprained arm which was thankfully not fractured though a few of her ribs were under stress. The right eye was definitely bruised from the fist and the darkness was just starting to show; which she would not be able to hide. The doctor planned to hold her for a couple of days but the injuries were not life threatening; though they could have been. Mona supposed that she was lucky since the young woman had no doubt that Tabitha Clark was behind this; which meant that she knew that Mona was a part of the case. This could have been a message or even a private trip to the mad doctor's own Dollhouse.

After her injuries were checked out, Mona was moved to a private room where she got to at least rest for a few hours before having company.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked as he entered the hospital room with a great amount of concern in his voice. His heart stopped as she turned her head towards him and he saw the black eye she was sporting.

"I'm fine; though I wish my attacker would have lived since our suspect sent him," she answered him and the young man's eyes widened at her revelation.

"Are you sure? That doesn't make any sense," stated the young man in a confused manner. This was going beyond a simple escalation.

"Maybe Doctor Clark wanted to send a message or remove me from the game," suggested the young woman as she struggled to sit up. Mike rushed to her side in order to help her, which she let him do given the circumstances.

"Or she had a different motive," proposed a voice from the door and Mona's eyes widened as her boss walked through the door with two of her subordinates by his side; Asuka Langley and David Preston.

"Who are you?" Mike asked with authority, not seeing the startled look on Mona's face and was pulling out his badge.

"This is my boss from the NSA Mike; put your badge away," Mona ordered the young man and he did so though he suddenly looked a little nervous.

"It's fine Mona; you must be Officer Mike Montgomery. I am Director Ward," greeted the man as he extended his hand to Mike; which he took and smiled slightly.

"What are you doing here sir?" Mona inquired, not sure how to process this. The other two NSA Agents stood at the door to guard while eyeing Mike suspiciously. Mona had worked with the two for years and they were few of the only ones who knew her story with her ex-boyfriend.

"I was passing through the city on my way west when I heard about what had happened. I came straight here to see how you were doing," the man answered and the concern was evident in his voice. For some reason, Mike became jealous and narrowed his eyes at the older man; which was met with glares from the other two agents.

"You didn't need to do that," said the young woman as she gave Mike a slight look to knock it off; watching what was going on. She felt a feeling of warmth because of his jealously but suppressed it.

"Yes I did; you are like a daughter to me and I was concerned," The Director told her gently as me moved closer to the bed and took her hand in his.

"Mike; go get me some coffee please," Mona asked the young man with a look that she would not take no for an answer. Mike nodded and then left the room with the other agents after the Director said he wanted coffee as well; leaving the two alone in the room.

"It seems that Bagdad was safer for you," the older man joked though he was being serious. He didn't like seeing his people sitting in hospital beds though he was used to it given their line of work.

"I was sloppy; it won't happen again," Mona stated with a feeling of slight shame. The more she thought about it, the more she believed that her being here was her fault.

"You were surprised at home and caught off guard; don't beat yourself up over it. Just learn from it and don't let it happen again," Director Ward countered gently as a father would.

"I don't plan to; Tabitha Clark made a mistake and I won't let this go," stated the young woman with anger in her voice. She planned to make the b*** pay for what had happened tonight.

"So you want to continue this?" he inquired, both curious and concerned at the same time.

"I have to; this is an escalation and I going away will not make things better. The gauntlet has been thrown and I need to meet it," Mona said with both pain and conviction as she moved her body around.

"Alright; but I want you in contact with your section at all times. I don't want to see you like this again," the NSA Director ordered and she nodded. Mona was about to say something when Spencer walked into the room; startled by the sight of the older man.

"I'm sorry; I can come back," Spencer said, realizing that this was someone official and they were busy.

"It's okay Spencer; Director Ward, this is Spencer Hastings," Mona stated, stopping the other young woman from leaving.

"Oh I know who she is; nice to meet you," said the NSA Director, extending his hand which Spencer took and smiled. It seemed that everyone who worked with Mona knew who she was; which really wasn't a surprise when one thought about it.

"Nice to meet you too; I just came to see how Mona was doing and brief her if she was awake," informed the FBI Agent. Given that Mona's boss was pretty high on the food chain, Spencer felt a little nervous.

"Go ahead," Mona ordered, wanting to know who tried to abduct her as well as he managed to disable her security.

"The deceased's name was Jonathan Myers, forty years old and a former cop; kicked off the force for corruption. He supposedly acts as an enforcer for the local mob though he is rumored to take side jobs; which might explain why he works for Doctor Clark," explained the young woman. She had been told by one of Mona's fellow agents that the dead former cop had been working for their suspect back at the house.

"How did he get past my alarms?" asked Mona, both curious and planning to give the security firm an earful.

"He didn't; Myers broke in and then called the security company to claim he was a cop that responded to the break in," answered Spencer.

"That doesn't make sense; there are supposed to be things in place in order to prevent a thief from using that trick," stated the bedridden woman, slightly confused on how it was done.

"Well the security company claims he had all the right information as well as the passcode you provided him. Either he had friends inside that security company or it got hacked by our missing doctor," the taller woman said with a frown. If the security company was hacked then there was a chance that their own systems were vulnerable.

"Well I will have to do something about that; this is not going to happen again," Mona said, fully meaning it. When she got home, the young woman planned to call a few friends to add some extra security to her residence.

"Why try to abduct you? Was this a taunt to us?" Spencer inquired, slightly perplexed since she considered herself more valuable than Mona; not to be arrogant or anything.

"Or we were wrong on how many representations there is to be. I am starting to think that Doctor Clark also plans to have dolls based on Alison and I as well," Mona said and Spencer sighed since this would complicate things even further.

"Why take you though and not just someone who looks like you?" the FBI Agent asked though what Mona said made sense.

"Sometimes the real thing is better off than a fake," suggested the Director and that startled the FBI Agent since it put other people now at risk.

"Well if that is the case, then I need to warn the other girls. I doubt that our suspect would go after them but they should be informed," Spencer said to Mona and from the sound of it, she was not asking permission.

"That is fine; just leave my name out of it," said the young NSA Agent which earned a look from her boss. The man had advised her on more than one occasion to reconcile with her past; which she was always resistant to.

"Not possible; your name got dropped by the press though they have yet to link you to the NSA," admitted Spencer, not happy about it. She had already had to shut off her phone because of the calls coming from Aria and Hanna; expecting similar ones to come from Emily and Alison.

"Terrific; glad I am now stationed stateside and no longer in the field," said the bedridden agent with a sigh. If she had been an agent doing undercover work, then she would be in real trouble since there had been on more than one occasion of an agent being attacked once his or her identity was blown.

"We'll have to keep you under close watch; pick a member of your team to be with you during this investigation and I will clear it with any authority," ordered Director Ward and Mona just nodded since it was clear that this would not be arguable. Spencer's phone buzzed and she looked down to see that Hanna had sent her a text.

She was in the hospital and on her way up.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

The door kicked in with a loud bang.

Instantly, Toby and a number of officers came barging in with their weapons drawn; making sure that all was clear.

The first thing that came to Toby's attention was the smell of the place; a stink that almost threw him off balance. As the police made a sweep of the apartment, to say it was a mess was an understatement. The carpet was dirty and stained, there were wrappers and other trash all over the floor, and the dust on the furnishings was pretty thick. The kitchen had peeling walls and Toby could have sworn he saw a few cockroaches scurrying about. The sink was filled with dishes that needed to be washed and the plaster on the walls was peeling; especially above the stove that really needed a good scrubbing. The front room had an old beat up couch that had seen better days with a modern television with a satellite hookup; which made sense since the deceased had a modest back account. There were porn magazines all over the coffee table and some more stacked on a rotten bookshelf in the corner.

When the all clear was given, Toby put on his white surgical gloves as the crime scene unit made their way inside. Deciding to start in the bedroom, the young man made his way inside and wasn't surprised that the room matched the rest of the house. The bed was a simple metal futon with a cheap mattress as well as dirty sheets. There were various undergarments, male and female; thrown about as well as other clothing and the closet had a pile of dirty laundry in it as well as other things that might have been stolen. There was another pile of magazines next to the bed as well as an open box of ammunition though there were was no weapon; which Myers had, had on his person. What caught Toby's eye was the safe in the corner next to the closet. It was rather old and required a combination to get in to.

Tagging the safe to be taken back to headquarters, he looked through the pile of papers that was on the dresser. Though there were mostly bills as well as other paperwork, there were notes detailing various times and dates with initials. Two of them matched the two victims of A and Toby used his phone to take pictures of the remaining initials since they could lead to other intended victims. There was a check next to one of the possible victims with one of the dates just last week while the other two were for later in the month. This told the young man that Tabitha Clark might already have a prisoner; which had been provided by the deceased. It appeared that Jonathan Myers was the muscle for the new A like Charles had with his hoodies in the past; though it remained to be seen whether or not there were more individuals out there besides the deceased former cop.

It was about an hour of searching when Spencer showed up; trailed by a blonde male dressed in a suit.

"Find anything?" Spencer asked and she sounded haggard; which was understandable given the circumstances. Given that Mona was not only attacked in her own home and as an active NSA Agent, the situation on the Federal level had to be tense right now.

"Jonathan Myers was definitely working for A aka Doctor Tabitha Clark and was her muscle; looks like he was the one who abducted the other girls as well as a possible third one," informed the young man as he showed Spencer what he found.

"Which means that we for sure have a potential victim out there; do we at least have a name?" the FBI Agent inquired with a twinge of hope in her voice. The individual she came here with was picking through the room and had put some while gloves on as well.

"No; just initials which is better than nothing. We also need to find out who these other potential victims are in case they might have a direct connection to our suspect," stated Toby as he eyed the other person. The way he stumbled about as if this was his first crime scene, Toby had a feeling that the stranger wasn't from the FBI.

"I will see if I can get a complete list of names with the initials from the FBI's missing persons database just in case the victim is out of State," Spencer said as she looked at the initials and made a note of them on her phone.

"How is Mona?" the State Police Officer asked, both out of curiosity and concern. Mona had a history of close calls and it seemed that the nickname of Vanderjesus once again came into play.

When the call came in, Mike had bolted out of the office straight away and Toby had been put in charge of finding out who tried to abduct Mona. Once he arrived at the crime scene with his fellow officers, there was the curious case of the NSA standing in the way. It seemed that Mona was rather high up on the food chain in the Agency and they wanted to take over the investigation; which prompted Toby to call Tanner for support. She then arrived to deal with the politics of the situation and it took only a few minutes for the State to finally enter Mona's home to process the scene. Once they were inside, one of the older officers instantly recognized the deceased for who he was; which then prompted the investigators to immediately head the Jonathan Myer's home.

"A little beat up but should be out in a few days; got to meet her boss and Hanna made a surprise visit," informed the young woman, which caught Toby by surprise. As far as he knew, Hanna was still in New York with Caleb.

"You're kidding me; how did that go?" inquired the boyfriend, not even imagining the reunion that must have happened.

"Well it seemed to go well; I left them talking since I had to get here. I also had to bring one of Mona's subordinates since the NSA wants a part in our investigation since Mona got hurt because of it," informed Spencer as she jerked her head towards the stranger in the room; who was kneeling in front of the vase. Toby was about to protest when he realized that the person could do them a possible favor by breaking into the safe.

"Did Mona say why A tried to have her abducted; maybe overhearing something from Jonathan Myers," Toby queried since this escalated everything. He was suddenly concerned about the other girls being targets given what had happened to Mona.

"She thinks that Doctor Clark was more satisfied with the original than dressing up a doll; thus that there is a chance that there will be six victims instead of four," answered the young woman in a grim tone, which earned a frown from her boyfriend.

"So besides you and the other three, we are at risk of having dolls dressed up like Mona and Alison. Well that does explain the other initials and we need to find those women a.s.a.p. before it was too late," stated the young State Police Officer as he glanced over at the blonde to see if he was making progress; which he seemed to be by trying to crack the combination of the lock on the safe.

"Which might escalate now that A's attempt to take Mona was thwarted; it might have sealed the fate of our abductee," said the FBI Agent with a slight fear in her voice. The last two A's had a ferocious temper which resulted in people getting hurt so it was likely that this was the case with the new A.

"Maybe not; if our deceased was Doctor Clark's only hired thug then she might keep our third victim alive for a little longer," Toby suggested, hoping that was the case. Thinking about it, it made sense that A would only have one hired thug to do the heavy lifting given that Jonathan Myers was responsible for all the initial abductions.

"We'll have to hope so; maybe we should go ask the neighbors if they know anything," proposed Spencer, hoping that maybe someone saw Doctor Clark visit Jonathan in person.

It was unfortunate that one of Mona's shots had destroyed the phone her abductor was using; though there was hope that the NSA could save the SIM card. While Spencer doubted that A would be stupid enough to communicate with her flunkie without using proxies, it was hoped that there would be enough revealed to point the investigators at least in the right direction. They really needed to find the Lair and hoped that the phone's GPS would help in that regard. Since they also had the vehicle the deceased used, there was a chance they could use the data from the traffic cameras to observe Jonathan Myer's movements these last few months. It would take a lot of work going through the tapes but Spencer had hope that it would lead to something. With Mona in the hospital the next few days, maybe she would be up to the task while the others handled the physical load of the case.

Otherwise, they would all be back to square one and there just wasn't enough time for them to find the third victim before she was left in another location without a breakthrough.

While the rest of the apartment was being checked out, the couple headed out and went to the first door on the right. After knocking a few times, there was no answer and nothing could be heard on the other side of the door; concluding that no one was home. They then proceeded to the apartment directly across from the deceased's and once again knocked. This time they could hear some movement and the door opened slightly with a person peering through the crack. It was an older woman and she looked at the two suspiciously until Toby held up his badge so that the woman could see it. She then shut the door and unlatched the door opening it again completely. The woman was short, stocky, light-skinned, and dressed in a yellow dress that went to her feet. While she had a demeanor that seemed on full alert, the woman was otherwise polite.

"Hello ma'am; my name is Officer Toby Cavanaugh of the Pennsylvania State Police and this is Agent Spencer Hastings of the FBI. We would like to ask you some questions about your neighbor Jonathan Myers," Toby told the woman with a smile, trying to be disarming. He was hoping that the fact that he worked for the State rather than the city would give him some leeway.

"The thug; what do you want to know?" inquired the older woman, becoming a little more relaxed. From her vantage in her apartment, she could see the group of officers across the hall and concluded that something major must have happened.

"Did you happen to speak with him on any occasion or know who visited him?" Spencer asked the woman.

"Never talked to him other than passing by him in the hall; always was a jerk to me so I usually just ignored him. As for visitors, just other thugs and hookers; also that fancy woman he always met outside in the small alley next to the complex," she answered and that caught the couple's attention.

"Can you describe her? Also, you didn't happen to hear what they were talking about?" Toby asked, coming to the conclusion that the woman might have seen their suspect. He pulled out a notebook and pen so that he could write down any possible description.

"Just seen them from my window so I never really could hear what they were talking about; though she would always hand him an envelope full of money so she was probably paying him for some sort of job. As for what she looked like; she was just about my height, had long silver hair, glasses, was white, and always had on some sort of fancy skirt high end ladies wear," informed the older woman noting the surprised look on their faces.

"Would you be able to get with a sketch artist?" Spencer asked as she handed the woman her business card that had her cell number on it; Toby also handed her a card as well.

"Sure; I'll be here all day," the woman said as she shrugged and took the cards.

"Thank you; we'll be in touch," Toby said to her and turned to leave along with Spencer. The woman then shut the door as they walked away.

"That didn't sound like Doctor Clark; she is a brunette and wears contacts," Spencer said to her boyfriend as they went to see if the rest of the neighbors saw anything.

"Unless she changed her appearance so that she could blend in; she has to know that we would find out about her eventually and took steps to make it harder for us," Toby stated as he texted the sketch artist to visit the woman whose apartment they just left.

"Charles did the same thing and even Mona had a complete makeover when she was A; even using multiple personalities to further her mascaraed," admitted the young woman, annoyed that their suspect was making it harder for them to find her.

The rest of the neighbors offered no helpful clues; though they seemed to back the old woman's description of the deceased's visitor. After they were back in the apartment, they headed to the room and found that the safe had been cracked with the blonde Spencer came in with going through its contents. There was a good deal of money inside as well as other jewelry and other valuables. The crime scene technicians were taking fingerprints of the bills and placing them on a laptop so that they could be identified. Toby and Spencer headed over to see if anyone they knew came up; not surprised that one of the matches was their suspect Doctor Clark as well as the deceased. When checking the jewelry, the fingerprints of the victims came up; this meant that Jonathan Myers had been stealing as well as being the one who had abducted them.

"Something just occurred to me; how did Doctor Clark get to this place to meet Myers? I doubt she walked," Spencer suddenly stated as the police began to wrap up their search of the place with Toby texting what they found to Mike.

"She had to have either driven or caught a cab; we need to see if there are any cameras around," said the young man and the couple quickly made their way out of the apartment complex to the street in front; where there were numerous official vehicles.

Looking around, they spotted a few cameras at some the businesses across the street as well as a bank with an ATM directly across from the building. The two then crossed the street and into the bank, entering it and showing their badges to the teller; asking to speak to the manager. After informing the man of what they needed, the three headed to the security office in the back to get copies of the tapes for the past few weeks. After collecting them, Toby thanked the bank manager and took the copies to be processed later. The NSA Agent had already left and Spencer suspected that he was off to report what they found to Mona's boss; which bothered Spencer slightly. She had heard stories about how the NSA liked to avenge its agents when something happened to them and would have to talk to Mona about that at some point.

After calling Toby and letting him know that she was returning to the hospital to see how things went, Spencer made her way back and hoped that Hanna had left by then. The blonde had been rather ticked that Spencer had not mentioned that she had been in contact with Mona; much less been working with her on a case as well as knew that she lived in Philadelphia now. After raging at the FBI Agent for several minutes outside Mona's hospital room, the blonde then went inside while Spencer fled. She imagined that Mona would not be happy about the encounter and did not want to be around for the coming glares as well as possible payback down the line; if Mona still held grudges. She felt slightly sorry for Mike since he was probably dealing with all the drama and Spencer didn't warn him in advance.

After parking her car, Spencer got out and headed to the lobby. After telling the receptionist on who she was visiting as well as flashing her badge, the young woman headed to the elevator. She then froze as the doors opened and Ezra stepped out, also surprised to see her. Closing her eyes, the FBI Agent lowered her head and sighed; should have expecting this. There was no doubt that Hanna probably called everyone she could in order to let them know that Mona had resurfaced all of these years. If Alison was in the country, the blonde might have shown up with an army of bodyguards while even Emily would have made an appearance. It sometimes amazed her that their first real enemy could have that much of an effect on them even after all of these years; reminding her of what happened on Thanksgiving Day all of those years ago.

"Let me guess; Hanna called you guys?" Spencer asked Ezra sarcastically. The older man had aged well these past ten years with a slight grey forming at the edges of his hair.

"Actually, Caleb called me and Aria happened to answer the phone," admitted the Professor with a shrug.

"Terrific; how ticked off is Mona right now?" inquired the young woman as she followed Ezra to the vending machine a few feet away. He put some money in and got a soda, taking a drink as soon as it rolled out.

"Well I am staying out here," stated Ezra with a sympathetic smile; feeling for the young woman.

Spencer sighed again and headed to her doom.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to Paraddicted for the preread!**


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Mike was doing his best not to make eye contact with his sister.

As they sat across from one another just outside Mona's hospital room, the young man did his best to utterly ignore Aria.

Aria on the other hand kept staring at him in order to at least try to get him to talk to her after all of these years. A part of her was angry that he was still acting like a jerk for what happened; though even she had to admit that she was at fault to some degree. When she had learned from Spencer that he was working with the State Police, she had angrily confronted her parents for not saying anything; though they were unawares as well. As far as they knew, Mike was still with the military in some capacity and was just as upset as she was. According to her parents, Mike would only come home to either sleep or shower; never speaking a word to them otherwise. As long as he occasionally checked in, there really wasn't anything they could do.

When Hanna called and told Aria to turn on the news, she had been astounded to learn that not only was Mona back in town, but that she was working with Mike and Spencer. Both women had been angry with their friend for not mentioning that one important detail; especially since the subject of Mona had been a thorn in their side for years. While the girls had gotten over their anger for their former nemesis, there had been that constant worry that she might return someday for revenge; payback for sending her to jail because of Charles. Both Hanna and Aria were furious at Spencer and she was going to give her friend a piece of her mind when she next saw her. Hanna had briefly caught of glimpse of the FBI Agent before she fled the hospital so she wasn't able to chew Spencer out. Aria was going to be a little more persistent though since there was to be no secrets between them.

Presently, Hanna was inside talking to their former ally; friend being a little bit of a stretch. Even when Mona had yet to be found out as the first A, she was really more of her blonde's friend than A to her. After Mona had been kicked off the A-Team, she was still just an occasional ally; though one kept at arm's length due to their history. Though Aria wanted to go inside and try to make peace with Mona, she decided that family needed to come first. Mike was her brother and in truth, it was she that hurt him first when she convinced him that Mona had been working with Charles; based on Alison's faulty premise. If she could attempt to make peace with him first, then there was a good chance that Mona would soon follow. It helped that the woman would be spending a couple of days in the hospital so Aria had a little bit of time; though she still had her daughter to check in with.

"You can't avoid talking to me forever; this needs to end," Aria said in frustration to her brother as he avoided all eye contact with her. He was pretending to look at his phone; a trick Aria knew all too well with the young man.

"Not everything is about you Aria," Mike simply stated sarcastically, causing his sister to fume though she made sure it didn't show.

"No it isn't; but it's not all about you as well. It's about ten years of unresolved issues between all of us; which needs to end. We're family Mike and we need each other despite what you believe," the young woman said to her brother in a tone that reminded him of their mother; which made sense since Aria was a mother now herself.

"Family would have never had betrayed me like that; lied to me about someone I cared about and forced her away. Mona and I would have been together now if it weren't for your lies but now I have to deal with her resentment; which you and your friend's caused," the young man angrily said to the woman across from him. He was starting to get flustered and refused to let Aria get to him like he was the child.

"First off, it was Alison that told the lie and like you, I believed her lie as well. Second, you have to remember the Hell I went through with the Dollhouse and my need to make anyone pay for it," Aria defended, feeling slightly annoyed at being accused like that.

"Mona went through that Hell as well; even longer than you guys. She was forced to act like Alison and punished by being stuck in a literal hole in the ground if she resisted. The problem is that you had forgotten that when you and your friends accused Mona of working with that psycho," Mike practically yelled at his sister as years of anger and resentment came bursting out all of a sudden.

"I know and so does everyone else. You are not the only one with regrets Mike and I wish I could take it all back. But I can't do that so all I can now do is just try and make it better which I want to do," stated the young woman and one could hear the regret in her voice; which to Mike sounded genuine.

"Well you need to get Mona to forgive you; then I might," he simply said and the young woman just sighed but nodded; not looking forward to having to do that. That was when Spencer and Ezra appeared which caused Aria to be distracted.

"You lied to me," Aria angrily said as she got up and marched right up to Spencer; who looked a worried while Ezra just stood back. He had seen wife get this angry before and knew when to just not get involved.

"No I didn't; I just didn't say anything," Spencer defended to her friend as she tried to remain calm and as neutral as possible. Though she was in damage control mode, she had to keep a steady demeanor in front of her friends to weather their anger.

"I talked to you several weeks ago and we both talked about Mona," Aria countered, her anger rising once again.

"And I was telling the truth; I only just began working with Mona on a joint case. I can't say any more than that," said the FBI Agent in an official matter; hoping that the press didn't know the details of the murders. Even if the details of how the victims were found out by them, the A connection was only known to a select few and Spencer had no intention of revealing it to the other girls.

"Well you should have said something to us; I understand why Mike hasn't said anything but you know how much we wanted to resolve this thing with Mona so that we can finally move on with our lives," stated the young woman as she simply glared at her friend. Ezra had taken a spot next to Mike while the guards at the door were watching in interest. When it was decided that Mona needed some people watching the door, the NSA insisted on being the ones to do it.

"I know that and I understand; but you have to realize that we are dealing with a pretty brutal case right now and that takes the higher priority," Spencer chided, trying to make a point.

"What case? Why would you guys be working with the NSA?" inquired the young mother as she looked slightly confused. Ezra had speculated in the car coming over here that it was probably because of terrorism; though the news did not say.

"I really can't say more than it is dealing with some serial killings; nothing to do with anyone," lied the young agent as she eyed Mike, who then slightly nodded. The last thing anyone wanted to do was to bring back the A Drama for those who managed to escape it years ago.

Inside the room, Mona was doing her best to simply put on a blank face while Hanna was telling her how her life was going.

Spencer, being the coward that she was, had hightailed it out of there without even mentioning that the blonde was in the hospital. So when Hanna appeared at the door, the young NSA Agent had been completely caught by surprise. Since she was still stuck to the bed because of her injuries, Mona couldn't really flee like she had wanted to. Her boss had given the young woman a gentle smirk as he left the two of them alone, which Mona wanted to meet with a glare but couldn't bring herself to do. It had been simply tempting to simply order Hanna to get out since she really didn't want to see her; but given the blonde's demeanor, the order was obviously not going to be obeyed. So Mona had no choice but to listen to the blonde as she prattled on and on.

"So I was thinking that we have to have you over sometime; I just mastered my mother's recipe for lasagna and you need to try it," offered Hanna as she sat next to the bed in a cheerful manner.

"I wasn't aware that you cook now," stated the bed-ridden woman as her eye started to become sore again. She had been tempted to press the morphine button to help relieve the pain but Mona needed to remain lucid.

"I do it as a hobby when I am not running my business. There are certain parts of the year when things are slow so I do what I can to stay busy," answered the blonde as she sat back and smiled; happy that Mona was at least being civil so far.

"As an Interior Designer," said Mona, more as a statement than a question. The blonde nodded, not surprised that Mona already knew about her life since she left Rosewood.

"Yep; Caleb still has his job with that cyber security firm so we are living comfortably in New York. You'll have to come and visit sometime; maybe even hit the clubs with us though we don't do it that often," informed Hanna, remembering that she still needed to call Caleb. He had originally planned to come with her though he had work he still had to do at home; telling her that he would join her tomorrow.

"I don't think that is a good idea; especially with our history," stated the NSA Agent as she laid back and sighed. While it was interesting that she was talking to Hanna after all of these years, Mona was feeling anxious and wanted to get back to work.

"Which is why I want to move on from this; all of us girls do. I am truly sorry for what happened back then Mona and there is not a day that goes by that I don't regret it. But I want to be your friend again and hope you can forgive me," the blonde said gently to the bed-ridden young woman; pouring her heart into what she just said. Mona looked at her and then sighed again, groaning as well.

"It's going to take a lot more than some speech for me to forgive you; but I am willing to try in order to move on. Alison can still go to hell though," said Mona with an emphasis on what she said about Alison. While she was willing to get past her past grievances with the Core Four, Mona would never forgive the Alison for what had happened.

"Thank you; I will then start by doing your house. I imagine that you haven't had a whole lot of time to decorate it since you have been back?" inquired Hanna as she pulled out her phone to check her messages. She was currently dressed in a pair of jeans and white t-shirt; a little more casual than what she normally wore but didn't see the point of overdressing for a hospital.

"No and my kitchen is probably a wreck not to mention what else was trashed by the person who tried to abduct me tonight," said a bitter NSA Agent as she hoped that the late Jonathan Myers didn't go through her room. While her personal effects were under lock and key in the secret safe, she wouldn't doubt if the man had gone through her clothes.

"I'll help you clean things up and get Caleb to help; we have next weekend free so we'll be over," Hanna declared in a tone that left no argument. While Mona was hesitant to let the blonde come over so soon along with Caleb, all she could do was smile and nod.

It was then that Spencer appeared at the door and came inside, shutting it behind her.

"I'm going to get some coffee; be back in a bit," said the blonde with a smile to Mona while turning to quickly glare at Spencer. She then left the room and Spencer sighed, turning to give the bed-ridden woman a dry look.

"Don't give me that look; you are the one she is mad at," said Mona offhandedly. She would have smirk but resisted the urge.

"Only because of you; anyways, we have a few possible leads on finding out where the A Lair is. Toby is going to give you some video files and surveillance tapes so that we can track the deceased's movements while you are still here in the hospital," informed the FBI Agent as she sat down where Hanna had been moments earlier.

"I'll need my laptop; should be still at the house and I might need some of my other things as well. Have you mentioned A to the others?" asked Mona in a serious tone but curious as well.

"No; trying to keep them out of it as much as I can. The only thing they know is that you are working with us on some sort of Serial murders; which isn't too far from the truth," answered the young woman.

"Well I agree; though our Doctor Clark might not make it easy for us. She is probably going to be ticked that I am not in her hands and might retaliate," stated the NSA Agent with a grim look on her face. Given that both she and Charles had their bouts of rage that they often took out on their victims.

"We might have just doomed a possible third abductee; in searching Jonathan Myers apartment, we managed to find out that he recently grabbed another woman though we are only left with the victim's initials," informed Spencer.

"Give me what you found out and I'll write a program that will search out any missing person that matches the initials. It gives me something else to do while we are waiting," Mona said and both women turned to see the door to the room open. A nurse suddenly came in with a vase of flowers in her hands.

"These were left for you at the desk; I thought I would bring them in for you," said the woman as she smiled at the patient; putting them on the table next to the bed. After checking Mona's vitals and changing out her IV bag, she then left the room.

"Are those flowers black?" Spencer asked as she stared at the flowers. They were supposed to be red roses but someone had made them black.

"You have to be kidding me," Mona sarcastically said as she took the small white card that came with the flowers and read it. The bed-ridden woman then narrowed her eyes and was obviously angry on what she just read.

"What is it; who sent the flowers?" inquired the FBI Agent as she noted Mona's obvious angry demeanor. Instead of answering her, the NSA Agent just handed Spencer the card; who then read it and her eyes widened in response.

**Guess we both lucked out; hope you recover soon**

**Kisses –A  
**  
"Wow; this is one Hell of a way to mock us," stated Spencer as she gave the card back to Mona; who gave her a dry look.

"She was mocking me, not you. Though this is more of a taunt than anything else," said Mona as she crumpled the note and tossed it into the trash next to the bed.

"Well it still leaves out the answer of how A found out that you were working the case. We have left you off the official reports and none of us had said anything," Spencer said to Mona as she appeared to be confused.

"I've been thinking about that since I want to know how she found out where I lived since I took steps to keep my name off the official paperwork. I think we need to go check the bank accounts of everyone who works at the psychiatric prison in case one of them is on Tabitha Clark's payroll," suggested the NSA Agent as she leaned back.

"I never even considered that possibility since it's hard to believe that our suspect could have done all those things at the facility without at least some help. I think I just might make a trip there tonight after we check the records along with Toby," Spencer said as she pulled out her phone to text her boyfriend on what Mona just came up with.

"Well just make sure you do it soon; A likes to get rid of any loose ends and I don't doubt that some poor smuck at that place is on the list," Mona stated. If she still had been A, then she would have probably done the same thing. There was another visitor that suddenly rushed into the room and Mona groaned.

It was her mother.

**Please Read and Review; also a special thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Doctor Tabitha Clark was struggling to hold it all in.

As she sat at her desk and watched her newest doll obey her instructions, the young woman fought the urge to punish the doll out of spite.

Jonathan's death and his failed abduction of Mona Vanderwaal was something that she never thought could happen. Everything had gone according to plan so far; from the abductions to placing the bodies. Even though the police were onto her, the young woman had accounted for that and made sure that they could never find her. Her facial features had been changed and there was no paper trail to connect her to where she currently was. Now there was a real risk because her main source of help was a loose end that could unravel everything; something that she never accounted for.

It was her own fault now that she really thought about it. Though it had taken some time to track Mona down, it never occurred to Tabitha to look in what her intended victim had been doing these last ten years. From what she was seeing on the news, it appeared that not only was Mona Vanderwaal working for the Federal Government but was an agent in the National Security Agency as well. This made things even more complicated since it meant that Mona had more resources than that State Police and FBI did; thus she was now at risk. Tabitha knew Mona enough to know that she wasn't going to let this go and would come after her over the attempted abduction. Now was a time for damage control and to make sure her lair was still secure from a possible invasion by the authorities.

A part of her wondered if it was a good idea to simply just cut and run; abandon her latest doll by gassing her. It was tempting to do and the young woman could accomplish it easy; having planned it after the last doll was displayed. The lair was presently wired with a series of explosives that would destroy everything and allow her to leave the State; with nothing left behind to cause any future problems. However, Tabitha wasn't a quitter and would continue playing the game till the end; which she would win as well. She knew she was smarter than the lot of them and nothing would stand in her way to prove that. This little setback was nothing more than a lesson that she needed to learn in order to get better at playing.

Tabitha knew it was a possible mistake to send the flowers to Mona; after finding out which hospital she was staying in. Truthfully, it was slightly more out of genuine sympathy that she sent them instead of mocking; though she knew that Mona might see it as the latter. It added to the high she was now experiencing since this was kind of fun to her. Maybe there was a part of her that wanted to be close to being caught since setbacks were part of what happens in real life. She had been getting bored lately and needed some excitement and this setback could be for the best. Even she had often told her patients that obstacles allowed people to improve themselves and push forward.

With Jonathan dead, it was obvious to her that his place was probably being searched at this current moment. This meant that the police would likely find the list of names she had given him that were her future victims; though they were only initials with addresses at a later date. She had always been hesitant to give him the location of the next abductee until she was ready; careful to make sure that he wouldn't jump the gun. Even though the police had only initials, there was a chance that they could run them and find out who she was going after; especially since the two were pretty close to the intended representations. They had yet to release the details of her little game to the press but they might if they think it might do some good. Of course they just might not in fear that it would cause her to killer her current doll.

Lucky for her, Tabitha had a backup list of people to grab just in case something went wrong; which now came in handy. While the women on this list weren't as close to the ideal appearance as the primary list, it was close enough for her to make it work. It would take a little more time to adjust the skin tone and hair color for her intended dolls as well as the eye color; requiring special contacts. She would have to grab them herself since her main helper was now gone for good; which never really bothered her. Contrary to what her enemies might think, Tabitha liked getting her hands dirty since it was required for her to effectively play the game. She did kill Charles herself without any help; though it had been a little sloppier than what she had intended at the time.

Thinking about it, she was ready for a potential doll; a substitute for Mona to be exact. While she would have preferred the real one, a copy was fine though it wouldn't be much of a challenge to break her. Since she needed to let off some steam, she supposed that now would be a perfect time to grab her intended victim. The police would be distracted with their crime scenes for the moment and there still was a lack of a general call of alarm; which allowed her to continue to operate without issues. After sending a message to her doll that she had some free time for a few hours, Tabitha stood up to go and change. She didn't know how long she would be so the young woman made sure that there plenty of food and water.

Walking into the next room, the psychiatrist went to a large wooden wardrobe that lay against the far wall. Before she met Jonathan Myers, Tabitha had arranged a whole slew of possible disguises to grab her intended victims. Each one was so radically different from one another that it allowed her multiple means to do what she wanted. If one disguise was blown, the young woman could put on another without anyone the wiser. It also helped that each disguise was modeled for an intended victim; or someone close if something happened. There were also credentials to go along with each disguise with fake social security numbers to boot. She doubted that things would ever go that far but she liked to be prepared.

Stripping out of her clothes, the young woman wrapped her hair in a bun and grabbed a long blonde wig. After making sure it was secure on her head, Tabitha put on a light blue stewardess uniform that was used by one of the major airlines at the Philadelphia Airport. Once she was in the uniform, she took the pre-prepared purse that went along with it; which had all the identifications she needed to pass her off with the airport officials. For cases like these, she always made sure everything was up to date; which she did by hacking into the airline's employee database. As far as they knew, she was a veteran of the company for a number of years even though she never logged any hours or collected a paycheck. Once she was done, Tabitha headed out of the room and to her vehicle.

Though she often used a cab to get around town, freelance ones mostly since they never kept track of where they went, Tabitha had several vehicles in an old underground garage. The one she planned to use was a six year old blue sedan; a common car used in the city. She had used it twice already to run errands related to her A game and had repainted it after every time in use; changing the license plates as well. Next to the sedan was a large black travel case that movie stars used for their much larger luggage as well as an oxygen tank and some sedatives. After packing all of that into her trunk, Tabitha got into her car and checked herself out in the mirror; satisfied on how she looked.

Activating the controls on the garage door, she drove up onto the alley behind the building and onto the street towards her destination.  
She put on some music to pass the time; techno which she had always been into. Music had always been her saving grace back in the various foster homes; though not all of them had been that bad. The final one she had been in before she applied for emancipation had treated her rather well and even helped her with her schooling; even considering them the family that she never had as a child. A month after she had started living on her own in the dorms at school, the family had been killed by a drunk driver. It one moment, her foster father, mother, and twin sisters were gone forever. The drunk driver was only slightly injured and went to jail; though he didn't survive long since Tabitha had made quite a few friends by then. While she didn't do the deed herself, she watched in fascination while he was shanked in front of her.

After about ten minutes of driving, traffic being light this time of night, Tabitha pulled up to the security gate for employees at the Philadelphia airport. She smiled at the guard, a large Hispanic man, and showed him her id as well as clearance. Ever since the bombing at LAX a few years ago, every employee that worked at an airport had to undergo a background check as well as be issued special security clearance in order to work. Tabitha was simply able to hack the Government database in order to get hers and even made it a special clearance which allowed her greater access; as well as no questions. After she was cleared, the young woman was waved through and she headed to the lower levels where the regular stewardesses' parked. Looking for the car she wanted to be near, Tabitha smiled when she saw a free space right next to it.

The parking garage was underground and Tabitha had been here before once; catching a flight to Tampa once when she was still working at the psychiatric prison up north. Instead of taking a chance with her vehicle, the young woman decided to use the employee parking garage since it had better security. She had hacked another airline at the time and made it look that she was an airline executive, which didn't cause any problems. The place was huge and though it was all cement, it was well aired with multiple vents to keep it either warm or cool. It was also well lit so there were no dark spaces to hide in and had a large number of security cameras placed in the ceiling; backed up by patrolling guards; though there wouldn't be one for another hour.

After parking, the young woman sat back and waited for her target to appear.

The intended victim was a young woman by the name of Sarah Maxwell; a twenty-two year old who worked as a stewardess while she went to school. She was just over five feet, half Chinese and Caucasian, and had long black hair; similar to Mona Vanderwaal in appearance. Unlike Mona though, Sarah was an average student at best and wanted to be a kindergarten teacher; also a nice woman as well. However, the woman had an embarrassing secret that she kept to herself; she was a pill popper when she became too stressed. Tabitha had used that against her through harassing texts quite a few times. To escape them, the young woman made sure she was either at school or work in order to escape the prying eyes of A. Unfortunately for Sarah, Tabitha was always watching her and knew her schedule well; thus why she was now here.

It was about twenty minutes before Sarah appeared, coming out of an elevator not too far from where the cars were parked. While she had been waiting for her, Tabitha disabled the lone security camera overhead; sending a false signal to whatever monitor it was on. Preparing herself, she got out of the car just as Sarah approached; causing the young woman to be started and back away slightly. She appeared to be more relaxed though when she spotted Tabitha's uniform since it was the same as hers. The way Sarah was looking at her, it seemed that she was trying to place Tabitha in her mind; thinking that they might have worked together at one time on a flight. Truthfully, the two never met in person before now.

"Hi Sarah; how was the flight?" Tabitha casually asked as she pretended to be taking her bag out of the trunk.

"It was fine; though long, thanks," Sarah answered, still not sure who she was talking to but figured that she was just another flight attendant she worked with at some point. She unlocked her car and popped the trunk to put her travel case in.

"I bet; could you help me with this? I have a triple shift from here to London and had to carry a few extra things," stated the young woman. Sarah nodded and went to help Tabitha, leaving her still open truck behind.

That is when it happened; with Sarah caught completely off guard. When the young woman leaned in to help grab the travel case, exposing the back of her neck, Tabitha took one of the syringes and injected the sedative. Even before the young woman knew what was happening, Sarah was out like a light and Tabitha had to catch her before she hit the ground. As quickly as she could, the psychiatrist unzipped the travel case and then placed the woman inside. Making sure the oxygen tank was properly placed as well as Sarah's hands and feet bound, she zipped it back up and closed the trunk. She then got back into the car and drove to another exit so that she didn't have to deal with the same guard; thus not arousing suspicion.

Once she was clear of the airport, Tabitha headed straight home. She hoped to be there by the time the police were alerted to the scene of the crime; given that she had things the way she had with the victim's car that way. While driving, she occasionally checked the monitor that was connected to a small camera in the travel case; which showed her newest doll still unconscious and not in danger. From her in-depth surveillance of Sarah, there wasn't any health issues that she needed to worry about; which could have complicated things down the road. That was another thing she made sure would not be an issue with her dolls since the last thing she wanted was one of them croaking before she was ready to do it herself.

She entered her secret parking garage by going in how she went out; through the alley and down the ramp. A security gate sealed the place off so no one could break into her lair; though she had paid off the local gang to make sure that didn't happen. When Tabitha moved in and began creating her own dollhouse, she made sure to make nice with all the major players on the block; doing them a few favors. That is how she met Jonathan Myers and found out his qualifications to do what she needed. It was an arrangement that made sure that no one would come snooping and even if they did, they would be warned off. It would also tip her off to jump ship in case of the unlikely event that the cops found out about her lair.

Once she was had parked the car, she got out and tossed the wig onto the seat. Popping the trunk, she braced herself and pulled the case gently out of the back. Normally, she would have used some help to get her new doll out but she knew Sarah's weight and had the upper body strength to do it herself. Once the case was out of the car, she wheeled it to one of the rooms near where her current doll was located. It had taken some work and research, but Tabitha managed to find out how Mona had her room back during highschool. She then paid a visit to the Vanderwaal house to copy some photos for her own setup; putting them in the frames that were located on the vanity. It was a little more personal than the rest of the rooms but Dr. Clark considered her Mona doll a special case.

Inside the room, Tabitha unzipped the travel case and pulled the victim up onto the bed. She then went over to one of the dressers and pulled out an outfit to dress Sarah in. While she had been in Rosewood, the psychiatrist had grabbed a few yearbooks with pictures of Mona on how she dressed back then; before Alison had first disappeared. As a result, the clothing was all sweater vests and long skirts; nothing really fashionable. Grabbing a long cotton pink skirt, she chose a darker pink colored sweater vest to along with it. She then proceeded to dress Sarah up like Mona from back then; long white socks and simple shoes as well. Once she was done, Tabitha laid her newest doll on the bed and left some instructions as well. Hopefully, Sarah will obey them when she wakes up; after dealing with the drama of her new surroundings.

While Tabitha may not have Mona like she wanted, this would have to do for the time being; until she got bored.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

**Sorry for the late update but it's been a long week at work. Once again, a huge thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read!**

Mona caught the alert just as she glanced at the State Police's database.

It was out of pure curiosity that she even decided to look at the bolo; glad that she did since it was linked to their case.

She had been linking her own program to the databases in order to do a more thorough search; after getting permission from Tanner. The woman was still weary of Mona even after all of these years but still allowed the young woman to help. Mona didn't doubt that the woman was still feeling the burn after being taunted by A all of those years ago; Charles basically running circles around the older woman. Even though she wasn't a part of the official investigation, Tanner was still paying very close attention to the case; more so than any others that had crossed her desk right now. Toby didn't seem to mind as well as Spencer and Mike; Mona couldn't care less as long as Tanner stayed out of their way.

Currently, Mona was sitting in her bed in her private room in the hospital. Mike was sitting at a small table in the corner, watching surveillance tapes on his laptop. Her mother had gone to get some coffee and some food for the three; leaving her stuff on a small couch next to the bed. The older woman had refused to leave Mona's side ever since she had arrived, camping out in the hospital until her daughter was discharged. The daughter had tried to convince her mother that she was fine and to go home; but Leona waved her off and firmly stated that she was staying. She was already angry that Mona had been attacked in her own home again even though it had been ten years later. She was even angrier that Mona had kept the case from her as well as the fact that she was working on it; especially since there was to be no secrets between them in matters like this.

The room itself was a lot nicer than the one she had first inhabited when Mona had arrived; she had been moved several hours ago. While it looked like the typical hospital room with green walls and brown wooden floors, it was a little bigger than most as well as more comfortable. There was a small table in the corner with a couple of chairs while a grey-cushioned couch lay next to the bed. On it laid her mother's things as well as an overnight bag that the older woman had packed and brought with her to the hospital. A flat-screen television was mounted on the wall directly in front of Mona's bed; which was on but the volume muted. The young woman liked to pay attention to the news since international affairs was her purview.

Hanna and Aria had gone home; after staying a couple of hours at the hospital with her. It had been an interesting conversation with Mike's sister; who had actually apologized for what had happened back then. If it hadn't been for her mother being in the room, there was a chance that Mona wouldn't have even accepted her apologies; even ordering her bodyguards to throw her out of the room. Leona though had eyed her daughter the entire time and the young woman had been compelled to forgive; though it probably needed to be done. Truthfully, she was kind of glad that she did it since it meant that it was another stick to Alison; especially since it was now obvious that the girls were divided. She even had gotten to see Ezra, who she still considered a great teacher despite his flaws.

Pulling up the bolo, Mona studied the report and there was something about it that seemed to resonate with her. The young woman had long learned to trust her instincts; a trait that had long helped her in the past as both an NSA Agent and back at Rosewood High. As her mother came back into the room and handed out the drinks, Mona took hers while never taking her eyes off the picture of the abducted woman from the airport. Things in her head seemed to click as she then brought up the preliminary report, the crime scene still being investigated, and then pulled out her phone; sending a text to Toby who was out in the field. She then sent a similar one to Spencer and the look on Mona's face seemed to catch the attention of the room's other two occupants. Mona ignored them until she was done texting and then pulled up the picture of the abducted woman again on the laptop; making it big enough to fill the screen.

"What is it?" Leona asked concerned as she noted her daughter's sudden seriousness. Granted that Mona was serious all the time but this was more intense than usual.

"Who do you see when you look at this picture?" Mona asked the two as she turned the laptop around and showed them the photo of Sarah Maxwell.

"I think I see you," answered Mike as he focused in on the picture of Sarah. The similarities between Mona and the victim were eerily similar.

"I thought so too; it seems that Dr. Clark just made a move we didn't expect," stated the bed-ridden woman as she started looking into Sarah's life.

"You think she did this?" inquired the young man, both astounded and concerned while Leona just stayed silent. She knew her place and that all she could do was support her daughter and her friends.

"I know she did this; Myers failed to grab me and Tabitha needed another representation of me for her Dollhouse. The timing of the abduction is just too coincidental and the fact that Sarah Maxwell looks just like me tells me that she is involved. The question now though, did she do this herself or is there another person out there who also works for her?" wondered the NSA Agent out loud. She hoped for the former since it meant that Dr. Clark was now doing things herself and could leave herself open to mistakes.

"Well Charles had to do his own dirty work in the end and having a flunky is risky; no matter how smart you are," stated Mike as he thought about it; not realizing his mistake until the words came out of his mouth. If Mona was offended by the statement, she wasn't showing it.

"I already texted Toby and Spencer to head to the crime scenes; hopefully they will find out more when they get there," informed Mona as she began hacking into Sarah Maxwell's email account. It didn't look like it had been used in a while, the same could be said about the other elements of her social media.

"Did you want me to join them?" asked Mike as he sipped his coffee and glanced over at Leona; who had taken her spot on the couch and began sewing a pink sweater. His own mother liked to sew now and had sent him sweaters when he had been serving overseas.

"No; I want you to stay here and help me with Sarah Maxwell's abduction. Since her abduction is still fresh, there might be a trail for us to follow back to A's lair," ordered the NSA Agent as she smiled; her hunch was correct, there were a whole slew of A messages in the email account.

"I guess this is going to be a long night then," remarked the young man as he looked over at the time. He yawned and stretched his arms; causing Mona to sigh.

"Go home and get some rest; I'll start and you can finish," ordered Mona in a tone that the police officer knew too well. As much as he wanted to argue with her since Mike really wanted to be helpful, he had been up for about twenty hours now and knew he needed some sleep.

"He still cares about you," observed the mother as she watched Mike leave; his stuff was still on the table in the corner which indicated that he was definitely coming back.

"I know," Mona simply said dryly; not surprised that her mother caught on since she had become highly observant after the whole A drama all those years ago.

"Maybe you should do something about that; you once considered him your soul mate," reminded Leona as she put down what she was sowing to focus more on her daughter.

"That was a long time ago when I was a lot younger; also more naïve as well," responded the bed-ridden woman as she dug further into the A messages that Sarah Maxwell had received over the past few months. She was trying to trace the origin of the emails which was probably going to take a while.

"You're still young; just because you've seen a lot of things in your lifetime, doesn't mean that that you need to dismiss a future with another person in your life," Leona gently chided.

"I took three chances with people that I fell in love with and got burned each time; some people are just not into settling down and getting married mother," countered the younger woman as she hacked the internet provider that A had used to taunt the victim. Once again, it was useless since there were too many proxies that Dr. Tabitha Clark used to hide herself from intrusion.

It was apparent that Dr. Clark used the same tricks that Charles had in order to get at her victims; even some new ones along the way. Back when she had been a teenager, Mona had constantly tried to hack into Charles's network in order to find him; which had failed miserably. Like Charles, the NSA Agent speculated that Tabitha had created her own cell network as well as her own internet provider like he did. If one had enough money, it wasn't hard to do and Mona had seen it with some terrorist networks overseas. There was also the possibility that A was simply leaching off of other providers so that she could hide in plain sight; which prompted Mona to ask for help from her colleagues back at the Agency. Granted that they had a heavy case load and couldn't help her that much, but an extra set of eyes might help. If there was any issues at the top, Mona would just claim that technically, A was a terrorist; not really a lie when one thought about it.

"Two of those chances were driven by lust and need; Mike stayed true to you and did a lot in your name. I really do believe that you need to give him another shot and forgive him," Leona advised with pure sincerity.

"I seem to recall that you hated Mike just as much as I did in the aftermath of what happened back then; even throwing him out of our house and threatening him when he first came to apologize. What changed?" inquired Mona suspiciously as she looked over at her mother with her eyes narrowed. While her mother was usually a gentle person, once she hated you it lasted for a lifetime.

"When you left, I had a lot of time to think and I also witnessed the fallout from what happened to you. While I will never sympathize with Alison in being chased out of town as well as losing two of her friends, I thought it sad that the Montgomery Family had been dealt such a split. I will also admit that I had a conversation with Mike before he left for the Army and I believe his sincerity," informed the mother which caught the young woman by surprise.

"You never told me that," stated Mona, being both astounded and annoyed at the same time. It wasn't a betrayal in any means, but she should have been told.

"You never asked; just think about what I said," Leona said as she went back to her knitting. The bed-ridden woman nodded though she doubted that she would have the time.

Across town, Toby and Spencer pulled up to the security gate at the Philadelphia airport; showing their badges to the guard. When he checked the badges and saw that they were authentic, he waved them through and Toby headed to where the crime scene was. After he had gotten the texts from Mona, the two headed straight to the airport to see if there was anything that could be used as a clue. He had already called Tanner to let her know about the new development and she informed him that the State Police were already on scene; in charge of the case since it was a local crime. It was by luck that he knew the person in charge and was a friend; which would make it easier to collaborate with.

"Quite the gathering," Spencer remarked as they pulled into the parking lot and saw the numerous police and crime scene vehicles.

"There were a series of abductions last year at LAX in California with a bunch of stewardesses by a Serial Killer; which was bugled by both the airport security staff and local officials. Since then, all crimes other than terrorism are to be handled by the State Police no matter where the crime originated," informed Toby as they got out of the car after parking behind a police cruiser.

"I heard about that; the screw up was talked about around the office for a time," mentioned the FBI Agent as they were let through the yellow tape once they pushed through the small crowd that had gathered in the parking lot; airport staff who were temporarily stuck as witnesses.

"Yeah, didn't work out too well," stated a young dark-skinned man as he walked up to the two; smiling and shaking Toby's hand. The two then hugged and Spencer concluded that they knew each other very well.

"Spencer, this is Sargent Jack Norris; Jack, this is Special Agent Spencer Hastings of the FBI," Toby said, introducing the two since this was their first meeting.

"I finally meet the famous Spencer; nice to meet you though I wish it was under better circumstances," stated the other officer with his friendly demeanor turning grim.

"Tanner called you?" inquired Toby as the three headed towards the victim's car; which was crawling with crime scene investigators.

"Yep; how do you want to handle this?" asked Jack, stopping in front of the car and watching the techies do their work.

"Any help you could provide would be grateful; but we have confirmed that this is our killer that has Sarah Maxwell. What do you know so far?" Spencer asked with a slight smile as she put on some white gloves along with Toby.

"It was definitely a quick snatch. Your killer grabbed her somehow without a struggle; though we are not sure how. Someone hacked the security cameras and gave a false signal so there is no video of what happened. Also, the kidnapping happened before the security staff could do their rounds," informed the other officer. Toby and Spencer exchanged glances since Mona had been definitely right that this was A.

"Any trace evidence at all?" inquired the FBI Agent with hope in her voice. Even back in the old days, A had made mistakes and Spencer hoped that something like that happened in this case.

"No; also there are not any witnesses. What really is puzzling is how your killer was able to get in and out without being noticed. All entrances are covered by security gates and the staff swears that they didn't see anyone suspicious. This parking garage is also only for the airport staff and you have to have a special ID in order to park here," explained Sargent Norris as he motioned at the various exits.

"Doctor Tabitha Clark is a very good hacker so there is a chance that she has her own pass coming in and out. We also might have to consider that someone working in security might be on her payroll," Toby informed his colleague. He and the rest of the group fully believed that A had more than a few staff on her payroll at the psychiatric prison which explained how she was able to find out about Mona.

"I'll start reviewing the tapes and checking the bank accounts of everyone who works here. That will take a while though since this place employs a good amount of people," stated Jack.

"If we can get a copy of those tapes, we can help going through them. We are not sure though if our killer did this herself or had someone do it for her," Spencer said to the man; hoping for the former than the latter. If Tabitha Clark was doing her own abductions now, then it gave them a greater chance to catch her since she was now alone.

"I heard about your dirty cop Jonathan Myers; I have a few friends in the local departments who were burned by that guy at some point in their careers and I can tell you that Mona Vanderwaal is a hero to them for putting a few bullets in him," stated the other officer with a smile; which earned a surprised look from Spencer. She had heard that the deceased had a dark history with the police department and it seemed that it was even darker than what was let on.

"I'll let her know; anything else?" inquired Toby as he looked around to see if anything was noticeable. Something caught his attention next to the victim's car.

"Just what you now noticed; I had the techies check that out before processing the rest of the scene. There was a vehicle that was parked their recently though we are not completely sure if it belonged to out abductor," answered Norris as he motioned to the fresh tire tracks as well as puddle of water in the parking space next to Sarah Maxwell's vehicle. Spencer was about to respond when her phone suddenly buzzed.

It was a text from A.

**Please Read and Review!**


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

Spencer and Toby pulled up to the apartment complex.

Unlike their previous visits of late, this place was in a higher end of the city and home to those of upper middle class.

The young FBI Agent was starting to feel the stress of the case upon her; starting in the aftermath of the text from A. She had hardly slept a wink after receiving the taunt and it was starting show with dark circles under her eyes. She had been tempted to take something for it, but decided against it given her history with drugs; avoiding even aspirin if she could help it. What she needed was a way to solve this case before any more victims showed up; which could be at any time since the investigators still didn't know if there was a timetable between the abductions and murders. The search for the possible victims was still being done by Mona and Mike, who seemed to be working well together,

Mona was unable to trace the source of the text and concluded that it was sent by the same method Charles had done his all those years ago. What Spencer found funny about that was she would have figured that the authorities could have solved the problem by now; especially with the terrorist implications. However, Mona informed the FBI Agent that the NSA could help with the problem but couldn't due to come legal issues; which Spencer had trouble believing. The bed-ridden woman did suggest outsourcing for some help while she and Mike focused on trying to find A's intended victims. She then gave her and Toby a name as well an address of a contact she had in the city; as well as an envelope which was sealed tightly to give to the contact as payment. Spencer didn't know what was in it but decided to follow Mona's instructions on not to open it.

The place itself was an apartment complex for those who wanted to own their own space but didn't want to pay a mortgage as well as property taxes. Under the guise of paying rest, the owner was actually paying a small fee for maintenance as well as other expenses; which wasn't illegal technically. The complex was obviously converted from a former factory complex that was built around the 1800s during the Industrial Revolution; indicated by the outer appearance which was all old brown brick as well as the closed off smokestack. The only visible entrance had been converted into a proper doorway that resembled something from a fancy hotel from New York; complete with a doorman or even possibly a valet. There were hedges surrounding the complex as some sort of border while the windows were some sort of stained glass.

Spencer had the option of moving into something like this when she first was assigned to Philadelphia; one of the places her sister recommended. She had been tempted to rent the place since Spencer really didn't even have an issue with money and it was not too far away from where she worked; even liking the old fashioned feel of the place. She was though, trying to stay honest and upholding of the law; thus skimming the Government of money just didn't seem right to her even though it wasn't illegal. While Melissa and Hanna had scoffed at her decision, her blonde friend never looking away from saving money, Toby had applauded it since her renewed commitment to honest was one of the things he loved about her.

"Are you sure about the address?" Toby asked her as they got out of the car after parking across the street. There was a time limit on how long the vehicle could remain in the spot unless you left a tag saying that you were the police.

"Yes; Mona was very specific on where her contact lived. I don't see a renowned hacker living here though," Spencer commented while they walked up to the doorman; who was about to block their way until they showed the man their badge.

"You're not the only one who was rebellious in her youth; Mona's friend was probably a rich girl who rebelled and became a hacker," Toby reasoned, seeing the thing play out countless times in his past cases.

"I wasn't rebellious in the least," defended the FBI Agent, seemingly offended by the suggestion that Toby just made. She might not have been a good girl when she was young, but she was in no ways rebellious.

"Not to bring up the past but you defied your mother a great deal of times; especially when it came to your career choice. Instead of going to the police about A, you and the rest of the girls conducted your own investigations. I also don't want to hurt you, but there is the less than legal things you did back before Alison first disappeared," reminded the older man with a look; though he was trying to be gentle.

"That was all because of A and Alison; not because of I was being rebellious. Being rebellious means getting bad grades or sleeping around with other guys to get back at my parents for being overbearing; which I never did. My grades were perfect all the way through school and I was at the top of my class. I only dated Alex and you in highschool; never anyone else," countered the young woman a little testily.

Melissa had once used her past against her in an argument in front of their mother for their father's funeral arrangements; which still irked her to this day. Her sister tried to make it so that she would be the only one to give the eulogy and Spencer had an issue with that since she considered herself closer to their father. After a few hours of arguing, it was decided that they would both get to speak at the funeral; though it was only because the two sisters went nuclear with one another's secrets. It was by luck that Veronica Hastings had been out of the room at the time or she would have collapsed under the stress of learning the things that their father had kept hidden from her. Wren had been in the room at the time and it was his suggestion to share the eulogy that kept the sisters from murdering each other.

"Being rebellious is more complicated than you think; what you did might not be textbook teenage rebellion but you still went against your parents on a lot of things like dating me," Toby reminded her with a smile. Spencer remembered how her parents didn't like Toby at first but learned to like him after time.

The lobby was similar to a fancy hotel except that there was no front desk; it was also empty of activity which made sense given the time of day. There were mail boxes attached to the wall and locked with both and digital lock as well as a regular that required a key. There were paintings on the yellow colored walls and lights built into the ceiling though there was some illumination came from outside. Toby noted the security cameras that were hidden as smoke detectors in order to fool potential intruders. There were two ways to head upstairs; an elevator and the stairs though the two opted for the former. They passed a wealthy couple going in and they didn't seem to give them the light of day; which spencer wasn't surprised of.

The person they were here to visit was on the third floor and the hallway was empty when they stepped out of the elevator. The apartment was at the end of the hall and the door was painted black in comparison to the rest of the apartments. Noting the unusual color, Toby knocked on the door and the faint music could be heard from the other side; jazz to be exact. It took a few knocks before the door opened and a thin blonde appeared in the doorway. Toby had to look away given that she was wearing only white panties and a yellow shirt. She was tall, had blue eyes, and her complexion was rather pale. She sort of reminded Spencer of a cross mix of Hanna and Mona given that the young woman was wearing glasses. She looked at the two suspiciously and her mood darkened when the two flashed her badges.

"What do you want?" the woman demanded as she just stood there in the doorway as she seemed to enjoy Toby being uncomfortable. The way she was moving her body, it seemed to Spencer that the woman was trying to mess with him.

"Ms. Irene Parrish, my name is Spencer Hastings of the FBI and this is Officer Toby Cavanaugh of the Pennsylvania State Police. We need to talk to you," informed Spencer as she tried to make sure the woman focused on her instead of her boyfriend.

"Whatever you think I did; I didn't. Also, I am protected by a very expensive lawyer as well as some Government Spooks that I help on occasion. Shove off," ordered Irene as she moved to slam the door in the two's faces. Spencer however stuck her foot out to block the door in order to stop her however.

"Mona sent us; she needs to call in a favor," said the FBI Agent as she handed the young blonde an envelope. Irene's eyes widened and took the envelope by almost ripping it out of her hand, motioning for the two to come inside the apartment.

"I was hoping that she would contact me; I heard what happened," stated the woman, genuinely concerned as they headed down the bare hallway. The smell of weed was quite evident despite the numerous scents of vanilla in the apartment.

Both stopped in their tracks as soon as they entered the front room; surprised at the sight that was before them. There were potted plants everywhere; from various cactus species to roses as well as everything in between. The windows were open to let the sunlight in and the floor was a grey tile that was covered with soil as well as dirt particles. The walls were bare except for clothing that was hanging off of hooks; all flashy and things that even Alison would have blushed at back in the day. Instead of proper furniture, there was a card table with some empty dishes on it; surrounded by a couple of lawn chairs. The temperature of the room was rather cool, probably because of the plants themselves, and Spencer almost felt like she was at a nature reserve; except for was located in the center of the room.

In the heart of the small forest was the most elaborate computer setup that Spencer had ever seen in her life; outclassing even Charles's back in the day. With multiple wires going into the various outlets in the walls as well as three generators near the far wall, the homemade server was well powered as well as the four computers that seemed all connected together. There were also four monitors with various data, one being stock plans that Toby assumed to be Irene's or at least he hoped. Other than the homemade server, everything was placed on a custom made computer table that was made of oak with the chair being leather with wheels. Not bothering to put anything on, especially pants, Irene sat back down on the chair and opened up the envelope; which seemed to be full of photos.

Photos of Mona in various dresses.

"How do you know Mona?" Spencer asked the woman as the woman turned to scan the pictures into her computer. She was slightly confused by the whole thing and wondered if Mona had a stalker.

"She's my muse; and I owe her my life. You know, I thought your names meant something and I am assuming you are THEM?" she inquired as she studied the photos on the screen and then started replicating them with an art program on another monitor.

"Yes," Toby simply answered, having a feeling on what she meant. If Ms. Parrish knew all about them, the young man hoped she was holding a grudge against Spencer.

"So what do you want? Usually Mona just calls me if she needs something," stated the blonde and she leaned back and smiled at the two. It was taking Toby everything he had not to stare at her and even Spencer looked uncomfortable; much to Irene's delight as evidenced by her smirk.

"Mona's busy on our case and we need some help tracking our perp; who is quite the hacker and who we need to find. She sent me a text and we were wondering if you could help trace it; Mona said you would like the challenge," informed the FBI Agent as she handed the other woman her cell phone. She took it and Spencer winced when Irene disassembled the phone in front of her, taking the sim card and plugging it into her laptop; which was right in front of her.

"I do but I would do anything for Mona if she needed help; especially from some sicko claiming to be A," remarked Irene as she started typing and bringing up the text message.

"You know about A?" asked a surprised Spencer, looking over at Toby who also seemed just as astounded as she was.

"When someone I respect gets attacked in her own house, I do everything to find out who was behind it. I was going to send Mona roses or even leave the apartment to visit her but decided to start hunting who tried to do this to her. I also know Mona's past rather well and your security just sucks since I was able to hack in," answered Ms. Parrish and Toby sigh since he would have to let Tanner know their network was breached; again since A probably had already done it as well.

"Well Mona thinks she is using her own cell phone network as well as her own server to send her messages. She would track the messages herself but is trying to find the last few potential victims and it's taking all of her time," stated the young man as he watched Irene work; impressed by her skills despite her attire.

"Well that sounds like Mona; always putting the life of someone first before moving onto to the culprit. I really do get why the NSA is trying to make sure she sits at the top at some point within the next few years," Irene said as she did her best to trace the texts. Mona was right about this being a challenge.

"What do you mean?" inquired the other woman, slightly curious since it was still hard to believe that Mona was rising in the ranks at her Agency faster than Spencer since they were of the same age.

"The NSA has great plans for Mona; they were watching her back in highschool and she was on a recruitment list even before that. You might have gone through Hell when she was A but the NSA loved every bit of it while they were watching," informed the blonde as she smiled, noting the shock and anger that resonated from the two.

"Can you help us? We really are in a rush," Spencer said a little testily as the sudden revelation reverberated all through her body. She and her friends had gone through a wringer that left scars all through highschool and the fact that an Federal Agency basically watched the whole thing while they suffered enraged her.

"Well your killer is smart and I have to admire how advanced her network is; a shame she is a nut. I wrote a program a while back so that I could trace such networks and am using it now. We should have some idea of where A is here soon though I can't be completely precise so all you will get is the general area where her Lair is," informed the blonde as she moved her body around; a little too sultry for Spencer's tastes. It was a good minute before there was a beeping from the laptop.

"Well this is interesting," Irene said with both surprise and slight confusion. It wasn't often that she was astounded by something and noted to make an entry in her diary about this tonight when she went to bed.

"You found it?" Toby inquired as he tried to look over the blonde's shoulder before she shot him a glare to back off.

"Well the like I said; the general area. I was expecting though to be somewhere out in the middle of nowhere or some abandoned building in the factory complex; not in the middle of downtown in the general area of where the various Government buildings are," answered Ms. Parrish as she turned the laptop around and show the two officers. It was like Irene said; the entire network was centered in the central part of the city.

"She's been hiding in plain sight all along," Spencer stated with frustration as she just shook her head. Toby also sighed and texted Mike about the news as well as relaying it to Tanner as well.

Spencer should have considered that since that was how A always operated; making sure she or he was right in front of you the whole time. Mona and Charles had excelled in the trick and it seemed that Doctor Tabitha Clark had learned it as well. Now the challenge would be to refocus their search for the lair downtown in hopes that they could find a possible location; though it would not be easy. Knowing A, she was probably hiding a fake name amongst hundreds of real ones; which would require an extensive search to see what buildings had been renovated as of late. They would also need to contact the various construction business to see if there had been any work off the books as well; a trick Tabitha could have used.

Then they would have her.

**Please Read and Review; also a special thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Mike thanked the man before leaving the shop.

Mona was waiting outside and sitting on the bus stop bench in front, her cane at the young woman's side.

It had been a week since she had been released from the hospital and immediately jumped back into the investigation; going against the advice to take it easy. When she arrived home, her mother and Hanna had helped in the cleaning up of the place; Mike also helped when he came over as well as Mona's staff from her office. Her mother was actually still staying with her; planning to until the case was completed and Tabitha Clark was in jail. As much as Mona wanted to tell the older woman to go home, she knew that her mother wasn't going to listen so she made sure that there were a few people watching the house at all times. There was also a new security system in place with some extra features that were not connected to any network; a safety net against possible intruders.

Currently, the little team were downtown and searching the general area where Irene was able to pinpoint the possible location of A's lair. Doing a general search, Mona and Mike were able to come up with a list of places that had been renovated in the last year; figuring that one of them might be where Dr. Clark was hiding. The list was made up of official construction jobs and Irene was looking up ones that were off the books; promising to send them a list when she was done. The group then split up with one pair working on one side of town with another on the opposite side; planning to meet in the middle. It was already in the afternoon and their search had resulted in nothing so far with Mike and Mona having to go slow because of her injuries. She had to use a cane to get around and was wearing dark glasses to cover the black eye.

"So they had some work done in their basement but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary," informed Mike as he helped Mona up and they headed to the next place on their list. Mike just inspected a small antique store which was owned by an older couple.

"It has to be a larger place with maybe just one person running things. A wouldn't risk having a huge group of people close to where she is holding her victims," stated the NSA Agent as they walked down the sidewalk; occasionally making room for other pedestrians.

"Well according to this list, most of the places we have yet to check out are all small shops and maybe a few restaurants," said the young man as glanced back a few times. Mona supposedly had a team following her for protection though Mike had yet to spot them.

"Which makes me think that A did her work off the books though I fail to see how such a construction job could have gone unnoticed as well as unreported," Mona remarked with some confusion given that any off the books jobs were highly illegal in the city. Any contractor caught could lose his license permanently.

"I've been thinking about that and maybe Tabitha Clark bribed a few people to hide any reports filed against her. We also don't know how much construction work was used," Mike said as he looked around for any new work that could be spotted at first glance; comparing it with the list he had.

"Given that Jonathan Myers was a dirty cop and probably knew of a few more still with the police, it's a possibility. There also had to have been a lot of work done since if we are right, A has the same style of Dollhouse Charles did back in the bunker; thus having rooms completely set up to mimic the six of us," countered the young woman as she grabbed the tablet out of her purse to see if her search program was done or if Irene had sent her a new list.

The NSA Agent had created a program to search for large deliveries to this area of the city containing items that the girls would have had back then in their own rooms. If Tabitha Clark was a stickler for the authentic as Charles was with his Dollhouse, then that meant that the psychiatrist would order everything she needed off the internet given that a large number of things were no longer available in stores. It was unfortunate that Ezra and Aria's book had been so detailed on how Charles had mimicked their rooms back in the day since Dr. Clark visiting Rosewood could have done them a favor; though her mother had mentioned that the house had been broke into a while ago. This told Mona that there was probably a room in the Dollhouse just like hers back in the day.

So far, any searches for large shipments of older room furnishings had come up empty; especially for this area. Mona knew though that Tabitha was smart and would never have such large orders come to one location; especially to her own lair. So the young woman decided to expand her search for specific items that she knew that was needed to mimic the girl's rooms; seeing if they were gathered in large quantities in specific spots. She also created a search program to track clothing shipments; focusing on what Aria and Emily wore back when they had still been teenagers since they had had been a little more unique. That had yield some results which was being handled by some of her people back at the Agency. While some companies would cause some problems with the FBI and the State Police, they would be hesitant to cross the NSA.

Hopefully something would turn up soon since everyday warranted the risk of someone being grabbed or a new body being displayed.

There had been one more A message that had been sent to them just a day ago; taunting them about Mona's injuries. Instead of seeing it as harassment, the team had used it to further solidify that Tabitha Clark's base of operations was indeed within the city; though it could not be tracked to a specific location. They did however find a few of A's private cell towers; found on older apartment buildings roofs using older television antennas. Instead of removing them, they team had marked them and had placed the locations under surveillance in case Dr. Clark decided to pay them a visit. They doubted that she would do this and would probably pay someone to do it for her; which would work as well. If they managed to nap someone on the payroll, hopefully he or she could lead them to their intended target or a general area close to their search pattern. All they needed was one slipup; which even the smartest of people did on occasion.

"Well Toby contacted Philadelphia's IAB to see if any of Myer's buddies in the police are corrupt; though nothing had yet come up. We might have to consider the possibility that A might have hired out a few of the gangs to watch her back once we find the location; which they might warn her and she'll run," warned Mike as they walked into the next place on the list; a small ice cream shop that sold organic. Mona had compiled their list so that they could hit all their intended targets along a specific path.

"I've considered that possibility too; that she'll run now that we know where she is operating. But like myself and Charles back then, she is just as arrogant and particular; which I really do believe could play in our favor," stated Mona as she looked up at the menu while Mike went to talk to the owner.

The place seemed to be a family operated business manned by a brother and sister; Mona considered ordering something since she was feeling a desire for something sweet and it had been a while since she had last had some ice cream. It wasn't a large place with a single counter facing the front door that had a glass display showing over thirty flavors of ice cream; waffle cups and cones on top as well as various condiments. The floor was a red brick tiles, the walls were a lime green, and the overhead lights were built into the ceiling themselves. There were a few wooden tables inside with more on the outside for customers. It had a familiar feel that reminded her of the various ice cream parlors back in Rosewood and Brookhaven.

"So we might have a lead; the owners think they witnessed some activity happen across the street at that old office building a few months ago. They had been doing some nightly inventory for a few times during the week and noticed a lot of heavy construction going on in the middle of the night. I checked our list and there is nothing on file for that specific location," informed the young man as he pointed at the old brick building. Though they were still inside, Mona could see it quite well through the shop's large glass window.

"Do you still like the same ice cream?" Mona asked casually, looking up at the menu and pulling out her purse.

"Uhh….yes but didn't you hear what I said? I think we should check it out," suggested the young man, confused about Mona's sudden behavior. She ignored him though and ordered two cups of ice cream; giving him a look to stay where he was.

"Let's go outside and eat it at the table," ordered the NSA Agent when the shopkeeper handed them their ice cream; which were in waffle shaped bowels supported by small paper plates. Mike, still highly confused, nodded and simply followed her outside; taking a seat at one of the tables that faced the building across the street.

"Act casually; we're being watched so don't look at the place," Mona commanded, pulling out her blue tooth and putting it on her ear. She also pulled a device out of her purse and activated it once it was placed on the table.

"By who?" inquired the young officer as she simply ate his ice cream while trying to look like he was taking a break. He really wanted to look around and spot who was watching them; but that would tip them off.

"A couple of gang members; noticed them as lookouts when we entered the ice cream shop. They are watching us a little too closely and are surrounding the building. I think you were right about Dr. Clark paying off gangs in the area; telling them all about us. I've just texted Toby and Spencer to meet us here but warned them as well," informed the young woman as she ate her peppermint ice cream with one hand and texted using her tablet with her other. She also contacted Irene and the team guarding them as well.

"What do we do? Should I call for backup?" asked Mike, reaching for his phone; which Mona shook her head to and motioned for him to put his phone away. He then went back to eating his peanut butter flavored ice cream; actually enjoying it despite the tense feeling he was having presently.

It was about twenty minutes before Toby and Spencer showed up; going inside to order before taking their seats at the table.

"Is that it?" Spencer inquired, motioning to the building subtly while eating her pumpkin flavored ice cream which she got in a cone. Toby got the same flavor as Mike but was in a cone like his girlfriend's.

"Yep; try not to pay too close attention though since we are definitely being watched. My team says that besides the lookouts, there are a few cameras on us as well," informed the NSA Agent in between mouthfuls. She was taking her time and was glad that she ordered a double scoop of the stuff; though she wished she had put a few cherries on top.

"We should cover our mouths then since they might be able to hear us," suggested Toby and Mona shook her head, smiling and pointing to the small device on the table.

"No need; this device is designed to mess with surveillance camera's audio and the lookouts are too far away so we don't have to worry about being heard at all," Mona told the group as she smirked; reminding them that she was the genius of the assembled.

"Well given the amount of security the place has; it probably is A's Lair. The question is though, do we storm the place now by calling in backup or wait so that we are completely sure?" inquired the FBI Agent as she mused the thought out loud. Even with Mona's device in play, she still kept her voice low and acted casually as she could.

"I say we go in now; there are still two abductees that she has and we need to save them before they are murdered and displayed," Mike stated firmly, giving his opinion on the topic.

"If it's the location, then we should immediately. But if we are wrong and it's some drug den or gang hideout, we show our hand. A may not yet know we are aware of her network and that we tracked it to this area. She could think that we are just being thorough because of police procedure. If we do go in and we are wrong, she will find out what we do know and use it against us; even going to the media to embarrass us," Toby warned as he ate and pulled out his phone to check his messages; trying to act as if nothing was up.

"But she could be in there right now; this could be our moment to catch A and end this whole game of hers," argued the young man, showing some obvious frustration. He was starting to get impatient since he wanted to end this once and for all.

"I agree; but we also have a hostage situation as well. If A gets tipped off by the sirens or her lookouts then she might just kill them and run. We know next to nothing about that building; other than it has been renovated. If it is her lair, it will definitely have some nasty surprises waiting for us like all A lairs," the FBI Agent countered, recalling her own past experiences with the locations.

"My Lair didn't have any surprises; I am not sure what you are talking about," Mona stated, both confused and slightly offended. When one got down to it, her lair was pretty clean cut.

"Your lair had pictures of Alison everywhere and I seem to recall that you hit me over the head when we were first in it," Spencer reminded the other woman with a slight glare. She had been tempted to also remind Mona that she tried to throw her off a cliff as well; but that was well in the past.

"My lair was simple and crazy; which I will admit though my primary motivation was simple revenge. Charles's lair was on a whole other level and I am willing to bet that Tabitha Clark's is as well. I do agree though that we need to hold off until we have more information. Irene is digging for us and my people are placing the building under their own surveillance. I might also be able to hack into A's system now that I have a possible location for it," informed Mona as she was using her free hand to set everything up with her people. In the time they had been discussing on what to do, the NSA had identified where all the lookouts were as well as the locations of all the surveillance cameras around the building.

"Well when you put it like that; I understand. If the abductees are in there, we might be in position to catch Tabitha removing the bodies if we are too late. We could also watch who enters and leaves the place so we can catch her outside of the place; maybe even rescuing her victims while she is away," the younger man proposed which earned agreeing nods of approval from his partner and Mona while Spencer suddenly smiled; an idea coming to her head.

"Or maybe we can set a trap; lure Tabitha Clark away and make her show herself. We could even set her up and track her back to this place in case she dodges us because of some hidden entrance we do not yet know about," Spencer mused out loud as a possible idea. The other three looked at one another and thought about the idea.

"That could work; but what should we bait her with?" Toby inquired, not sure what to think about the plan since it had a lot of variables to it. Given that he knew Spencer like the back of his hand, he had a suspicion on what she was about to propose and suspected that he wasn't going to like it.

"Myself; we claim we found the person she planned to replicate as me while I am now alone. I could even taunt her as well and make myself a deliberate target. She then grabs me and you guys track her all the way back here," answered the FBI Agent as she leaned back and was rather impressed with the idea. This earned a surprised look from Mike, a thoughtful one from Mona, and an alarmed one from her boyfriend.

"No; you are not doing it and I won't let you. We are not going to risk anyone's life by baiting a complete psychopath. There has to be another way," said Toby as he simply dismissed the idea. It wasn't until after he said the words that he realized his mistake by telling his girlfriend what to do.

Mona and Mike sighed since this was going to be one annoying argument.

**Please Read and Review; also a special thanks to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Spencer knew her boss didn't like the idea.

Neither did the agent from the Behavioral Analysis Unit that the Assistant-Director called i9n to consult.

After she had laid out her plan to catch Tabitha Clark, her boss looked at the young agent with a rather grim demeanor. It had been the exact same look that Toby had as well as Tanner when she had first told them; though Mike was unsure what to think. Mona approved, which didn't surprise Spencer, and gave the plan her full support; even beginning the early stages on what was needed to be done. Even though Spencer had yet to get approval from any of the parties to go through with her plan, she wanted to at least be ready just in case. There was quite a lot to do to make the plan work and secrecy was key; which was why she was meeting with her boss alone in his office. The BAU Agent also promised to keep the plan off the books in case it was approved; though he was adamant on the risks it involved.

The plan was pretty straight forward though it involved a few steps before it was ready to be initiated. First off was making sure that Doctor Clark didn't already have someone representing Spencer in her clutches; which they now believed to be the case. By luck, the team managed to find out the third person that had been taken by Jonathan Myers before his death at the hands of Mona; a blonde that was a recovering drug addict and assumed to represent Alison. With that revelation, they now knew that it was Emily and herself that A still needed templates for. By forcing the Doctor's hand, Spencer wanted herself to be abducted and brought to the Dollhouse since there was a chance that Tabitha would want the real thing. The BAU Agent theorized that Tabitha Clark wanted the people she admired rather than representations; thus the attempted kidnapping of Mona. Spencer hoped that A had the same respect for her so that there could be an attempted on herself as well.

To force A to grab Spencer, the FBI Agent planned to attack the good doctor's ego; by revealing the game to the world. She still had friends in the media, though contacts of her parents, and the plan was to leak the A Game with even some quotes from Spencer that were rather insulting to Tabitha Clark. Mona in the meantime would make sure that the FBI Agent was wired with a few tracking devices even though they knew where the lair was; just to be sure. The place was still under constant surveillance from Mona's people in the NSA so it was still low key; since there was a chance that A had people in the FBI or had hacked the network. There was nothing on computer record that the lair had been found; in order not to tip A off. When Spencer arrived in the Dollhouse, she would make contact with the other victims and alert the cavalry.

It was a simple and effective plan; though incredibly risky as well.

"I have to say Agent Hastings that I don't like putting the people under me at risk like this; even if it is their plan to begin with," stated Assistant-Director Ashford as just finished reading the full detail of Spencer's plan; that he insisted on having in writing so that it was fully detailed. The BAU Specialist had also read the plan and had issues with it as well; especially since he advised that angering A could get a hostage killed.

"I understand that sir; but this is the only way to get inside Tabitha Clark's Lair to rescue the hostages and catch her unawares," said Spencer, trying to keep her tone as official and professional as possible. She knew that the entire plan was riding on getting approval from her boss since it would grease the wheels for the other parties involved.

"Why do you call it a "lair"?" Ashford asked, finding the term interesting though a little strange since it reminded him of something that a super villain would have if this was a movie.

"Because that is how every A has termed their central hub; from Mona Vanderwaal to Charles DiLaurentis. By calling it a "Lair" it gives the owner a place of power as part of their psychosis," answered the BAU Specialist before Spencer could respond. While the BAU wasn't officially a part of the case since they hadn't been invited in; Ashford still wanted their expert advice given the complications of the case.

The man himself was a great deal older than her; which wasn't a surprise since most of the BAU were made up of older individuals. He was light skinned, short, stocky, and had brown hair with a trace of greyness along the edges. Unlike her boss, the BAU Specialist was dressed a little more casually with him being in a pair of black jeans with a blue sweater vest as well black tennis shoes. This told Spencer that the man was probably off shift when her boss called him in since the BAU wasn't that laid back in comparison to the other departments at the FBI; all abiding by a dress code handed down by whoever was in charge. Spencer knew that Director Ashford had a good number of friends in key places at the FBI and could call someone for a consult if it was needed.

"Well regardless of what you call it; this plan of yours is still incredible risky. From what I have read, Doctor Tabitha Clark is incredibly intelligent and quite sociopathic; thus by going forward with this plan, you are putting yourself as well as the other hostages in serious danger," said the Assistant-Director, quite adamant on the danger Spencer was about to put herself into.

"But this is the only way to get in and past her defenses. Despite her intelligence, Tabitha Clark is incredibly arrogant and will be caught off guard; like every A that came before her. I plan on exploiting this weakness," Spencer explained to her boss in an attempt to persuade him. She had gone over it with what she was going to say to the man with Mona before she came here; who coached her on what to say.

"Why not just go in now? From what I have read, you are more than sure that the location you have identified is the place of operations for this A; a full team should be able to go in with no issues," advised Ashford though Spencer had a feeling that the man was testing her; given that he knew the risks better than anyone on that particular plan.

"A has always had traps in their lairs before and I imagine that Tabitha Clark is ready in case we do go in. I don't want to risk the lives going in as well as the hostages in case she triggers something on her escape," answered the FBI Agent with full conviction.

"I agree with Agent Hastings on that point. It is in my belief that Doctor Tabitha Clark will have traps set that will be triggered if our people as well as the police go in," stated the BAU Specialist, backing up what Spencer just said. The junior agent was glad for the support for at least that part of the conversation though she had no clue if he backed her plan.

"Do you think this plan has merit?" Ashford asked the man, looking over and still looked unsure whether to approve it or not. It took the BAU Agent a good couple of minutes before he could respond and Spencer was nervous for every minute of silence from the man.

"Like you have said, it is risky and under normal circumstances I would have advised against it and that the FBI should take over immediately. However, I do believe her plan is the best scenario for the moment," answered the BAU Specialist; which sounded like an endorsement to the junior agent. Ashford leaned back in his chair and began to think about it, which lasted several minutes before he spoke up again.

"Alright; you have my support to go through with it. But you and the State Police are to keep in contact with my office every step of the way so that we can have a team standing by in case something goes wrong," ordered the older man and Spencer nodded; promising to stay in touch as he signed the request, then handing it back to her.

Spencer then left the office and went back to her desk to pack for her next destination.

Since things were about to get exposed, Spencer felt that her friends needed to know what was going on first; so they didn't have to find out from a news report. While she was busy with the FBI, Toby was gathering all of their former friends, the ones in the area anyways, at Mona's house since it was the biggest and most secure place to meet. While they wouldn't be helping in any shape or form, they still needed to be told all about A as well as what she had been doing; including the murders. She knew that they would be angry with her as well as Toby for not saying anything to them further; but she also knew that the guys would at least understand. As much as she loved her friends, Spencer understood they were still somewhat immature; like they had been back in highschool. It took her a few years into the FBI Academy to realize that as well as what had happened with Charles; but to be fair, she was young.

After grabbing her stuff from her desk, Spencer left her desk after clicking off the little lamp she had. It was late and a lot of her fellow agents had left for the night or were on other assignments; thus there were very few people around. Taking the elevator down, she walked to her car with no issues and got in; then driving out of the parking garage. Her phone beeped and Spencer saw that everyone had arrived at Mona's; bringing food alone with them. They had all agreed to bring something since it was hardly expected for their host to cook. While the girls were trying to repair their relationship with their former nemesis, it was no way at the level of friendly dinners and girl's nights. Spencer had some chips and salsa in her backseat that she was bringing to contribute.

Getting to Mona's didn't take that long at all; though Spencer paid attention to see if she was being followed. Though they didn't expect Tabitha Clark to act within the next few days, the team was still being careful as well as cautious in case she was watching their moves. This was why the NSA were the only ones watching A's Lair since there was no way that A could infiltrate their systems. When she arrived at Mona's house, the rest of the gang were already there since the FBI Agent recognized their vehicles. After parking her car directly behind the Fitz's, the young woman grabbed the bag full of food and headed inside; though she politely knocked. Toby was there to meet her, taking one of the bags; dressed a little more casually than what he wore at the office. Making their way further into the house, Spencer saw that Aria, Ezra, Hanna, and Caleb were already seated on the couch.

"Sorry I am late; had some things to wrap up at the office," said Spencer as Mike appeared to take the groceries into the kitchen. He was still in his work attire and probably hadn't had a chance to get home and change.

"No problem but I am just surprised that you wanted to meet us like this; especially here of all places," Aria said as she looked around the bare room; Mona had yet to decorate her home despite her mother and Hanna being around.

"Well we need to talk about something and we needed somewhere private where no one could hear us," stated the FBI Agent in an official tone of voice. That seemed to startle the four since they had never heard her speak to them like that before.

"What's going on?" Ezra inquired as he noted how serious Spencer suddenly was; making eye contact with Caleb, who was sitting near Hanna on the floor. The sparseness of the front room had left very little places to sit; though Hanna was trying to change that.

"There's no way to sugarcoat this; A is back," the FBI Agent announced to the assembled group as she could hear Mike and Mona in the kitchen with Leona Vanderwaal. The reaction was exactly as she had expected; shock and apprehension.

For the next ten minutes, Spencer explained the entire situation to the group; from the murders of the women who had been dressed to mimic them to how Tabitha Clark took over as A. She told them how Charles was murdered by Doctor Clark and how she had her own Dollhouse as well as the same sort of operation that A had. All through her explanation, she watched as both Ezra and Caleb held their respective mate's hand as they silently listened. She could see that both Aria and Hanna were not taking the news well despite their silence; which the FBI Agent could understand since she had gone through that Hell along with them. Even if they were not the direct targets this time, people were still suffering at A's hands. Every now and then Mike would appear with drinks though Mona had yet to be seen. The two had agreed to let Spencer do all the talking and Mona was honoring that part well; staying out of the way. It was she after all that had started the A Game and there was a minute chance that Mona might be blamed.

"So A has been active these last few weeks and you didn't say anything?" Aria asked Spencer with obvious rage in her voice. While Hanna seemed more out of it than angry, her shorter friend's face was all fury.

"Spencer couldn't say anything because this was an official case that we are working on. This also had nothing to do with you," Toby interjected before his girlfriend could respond. While Spencer might be a little reluctant to defend herself against her friend, he knew that he needed to come to her defense.

"This has everything to do with us; everything A related has to do with us and we should have been told," the shorter woman shot back, snapping at the young man. Ezra was attempting to calm her, sympathizing with Toby and Spencer, but Aria was too angry and shrugged him off.

"And what? Run and hide or try to solve the thing yourself like you back at Rosewood High? This is being handled by the professionals for once Aria so calm down," Mona ordered as she emerged from the kitchen with a plate of cooks; followed by Mike, who seemed a little nervous at getting involved in the conversation.

"Fine job then; if this is being "handled by the professionals" then why is it taking so long to track this Doctor Tabitha Clark down?" countered Aria as she stood up to face Mona; shrugging off Ezra once again as he tried to cool her down. As expected, Aria was turning her wrath towards Mona since she was an easy scapegoat.

"And you did such a wonderful job back then; took you years to beat A while our little group has the situation well in hand in a short amount of time. We have this handled Aria and we are only telling you now out of courtesy. So relax and keep your mouth shut," the NSA Agent stated to the young woman as she gave her a bored look. Everyone just froze while Aria was in Mona's face and Ezra as well as Mike moved to separate them in case something happened.

"Why are you telling us now?" inquired Hanna softly, speaking up for the first time. While she was a little annoyed that Spencer had been keeping this from them, she was mature enough to understand why her friend had to stay silent.

"We have a plan to take down A but that involves us revealing everything to the public. I wanted to talk to you guys first given our history with A," answered Spencer soothingly as she watched the tense situation between Aria and Mona. She wished that Mona would have shown a little more tact when confronting Aria but then again, this was Mona after all.

"Was the person who attacked you involved with A?" Ezra asked as the thought suddenly occurred to him. That seemed to startle Aria and Hanna, who then looked at Mona out of a mix of concern as well as surprise.

"Yes; Doctor Clark wanted me for her Dollhouse and tried to grab me using a former corrupt cop," answered the young woman, making sure to motion at her black eye as well as other injuries. That seemed to sober Aria up since she then backed down and went back to her husband's side.

"Why you? Why not the rest of us?" Aria pondered, slightly confused since she always had nightmares of another A returning to ruin her life.

"There are several theories but we think she wanted me because Charles never really broke me and this A wants to," the NSA Agent simply answered as she sat down on the couch next to Hanna; who she offered a cookie to. Her mother was leaving them alone to discuss the situation while she cooked dinner.

"So the other girls are not at risk?" Caleb inquired, already planning to install some extra security features none the less. Though he had believed A to be gone for good, he had always been careful to make sure Hanna was okay.

"No; Doctor Clark seems to be using this whole series of murders as a trial run so that she could do her own thing. As far as we can ascertain, she has no desire to go after the original group aside for Mona," Toby answered him in an attempt to reassure his friend. The team had agreed that if Tabitha Clark had been interesting in going after the entirety of the Core Group, she would have done so a long time ago.

"But you should leave town for a few days just in case; take that family vacation you have been wanting to do for a while," Mike advised his sister and the others. His colleagues nodded in agreement since it was a good idea in case something went wrong.

After all, the best laid plans often went wrong; especially those thought up by Spencer Hastings.

**Please Read and Review; also a special thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Spencer Plans never worked.

Mona should have realized that when the FBI Agent first came up with the idea; especially with what happened back during highschool.

Currently, both Spencer and Toby were missing; neither having reported in for some time. Since they had yet to implement the next stage of the plan, it was assumed that the couple was off being together as they usually did on occasion. That thought was quickly dismissed though when both their vehicles had been found along with their wallets and stuff. That is when it was concluded that something had happened since they would never have gone off the grid like that; especially in the middle of a big case. Despite their faults, Toby Cavanaugh and Spencer Hastings were really responsible people; known to take their jobs very seriously.

Currently, Mona and Mike were sitting at their laptops in a NSA Mobile Command Center; the same one that was responsible for observing the suspected lair. It was a converted mobile home, placed in a lot not too far away, and could house large number of agents. The appearance on the outside matched the style of the other homes of the lot; even looking slightly worn. It had a blue roof with old light grey painted walls, and glass windows that were disguised to not look like they were bullet proof. On the inside, it looked much different with wooden floors instead of carpet, a complete open area except for the bathrooms, and a small kitchen made up of modern appliances. The walls were clean and white; with many cables and cords coming out various spots that fed into the many computers and monitors spread throughout the small building. There were satellite dishes on the roof, made to look like they were for television viewing, that were linked securely to the local NSA office.

They had arrived a little while ago after it was discovered that the other two members of their team were missing. Slightly worried that Tabitha Clark was making a move against all of them, Mike and Mona thought this was the safest as well as closest place to be so that they could still be on the front line. Besides themselves, there were eight other agents inside the command center with them; half were responsible for security thus heavily armed. Reinforcements were not too far away in case they were attacked; though that was unlikely at this point since A probably didn't know where they were. Though they were not in person, Tanner and Ashford were on two of the main monitors as well as Mona's boss in case she needed to pull rank. This was a possibility since the two did not look happy at their subordinates being missing.

"How could this have happened? I thought we were prepared for this," Tanner angrily stated from her office back at the State Police Headquarters. It was bad enough that one of her most prized officers was missing but the thought of him being in the hands of a psychopath was another.

"I agree with the Captain; I was assured that all precautions to prevent this from happening other than our own terms would not happen," Ashford said, sounding not happy as well. While this had been his agent's plan, he considered her irreplaceable like of the people under his command and should have taken better steps to assure her safety.

"And we did; we had not even initiated the plan yet when this happened. It seems that A decided to make the first move before we were even ready," Mona simply said the assembled in a rather bored tone of voice; which irritated Ashford and Tanner since it appeared to them that she was not taking this seriously. Mike as well as her own boss knew differently though since they knew her better than most people.

"And you never expected her to do that?" inquired the FBI Assistant-Director as he narrowed his eyes at her. If he was trying to intimidate the shorter young woman, he was failing miserably.

"No; so far, A had not made any attempt to go after the remaining members of our team given their connection to the original A Drama. This is quite an unpleasant surprise to say the least," admitted the NSA Agent. While she had expected to at least one thing go wrong with the plan, especially since it was Spencer's, this alteration was something that she had never even considered.

"Except for yourself; shouldn't that factor had been considered," Tanner raised as to make a point; which Mona conceded was valid.

"It was; but Tabitha Clark had only made a move against me because she considered me far more important than the rest of our group. We figured that A had plenty of templates for Spencer than for someone like me," Mona stated, trying to keep her annoyance out of her voice. She knew she was wasting time talking with them though Mike was doing his best to focus on his searching and ignoring what was going on around him.

"Well you were obviously wrong and now we have a real mess on our hands," Director Ashford said and Mona did everything she could not too appear bristled since it appeared that he was blaming her in some capacity. While Tanner nodded her head in agreement with Spencer's boss, she knew that her own Director would back her; especially if what she was prepared to do was needed.

"This is not a mess of our making. Every analyst we consulted agreed that Doctor Clark would not make any move against us unless we provoked her. The only part of our plan we went forward with was the first stage which involved revealing the whole case to the press. Agent Hastings was then to openly mock A which would then make her a target. That never happened and Officer Cavanaugh was not to be abducted as well. If anything, our beliefs were wrong as well as analysis provided by the FBI's BAU," the young woman pointed out irritably as she narrowed her eyes at the people on the monitors; which earned a concerned look from Mike.

"Are you trying to put blame on this Agency because the BAU knows how to do their job," Ashford said to Mona as if he were offended. Director Ward made a look that told Mona that she needed to be cautious.

"I am saying that we were all wrong and underestimated our opponent. Now we have to do our best to play catch up and get everyone back alive," corrected the NSA Agent in a softer tone; hoping that would smooth things over.

"I am afraid that is not going to happen; the FBI is officially taking over the case and I want all of your files so that the BAU can pick up from where you left off," Director Ashford declared in a strict tone; which earned a protest from Tanner.

"You cannot do that; this is and has been a case for the State Police. We have jurisdiction and will not permit the FBI to take over our case," the older woman countered as she turned her full attention to the FBI Director.

"One of our Agents has been kidnapped; we have every right to insure that she is returned safely and joint guidelines give us the authority to take over in that case," Ashford shot back politely but very sternly as well.

"Agent Spencer Hastings was a consultant and nothing more. I only allowed her to participate because on the advice of Officer Cavanaugh as well as because of her past connection to the original case dealing with Charles DiLaurentis ten years ago. This is and has been a State Investigation so we will not give it up under any circumstances," the Captain informed the FBI Director with obvious anger in her voice. Mona shot her boss a look as if she were seeking his permission on something; which he nodded his head as if in approval.

"I am afraid you are both mistaken; this is now a matter of the National Security Agency and I am now assuming all authority for this case," Mona announced to the two with as much authority as she could muster. They both turned to her out of surprise and anger; which Mona was prepared to meet.

"You can't do that; the NSA had no jurisdiction to take over this case at all," Ashford protested angrily with a nod in agreement from Tanner. Mona just smirked at them while Mike tried to look small as he possibly could since things were about to get majorly dicey.

"Actually I can under Article 23 of the New National Security Act of 2017; Doctor Tabitha Clark has committed crimes both within and out of the United States. Thus I am officially designating A aka Tabitha Clark a domestic Terrorist and under the preview of the NSA which I have the authority to do as head of all anti-terrorist activities in the region. If I need something, I will call you but until then I have command authority in this case; goodbye," Mona said as she then pressed a key on the console next to her and hung up; the monitors going black just as the two senior officials were about to protest.

"Technically, you need permission from the State Attorney General before making such a move unless there is an emergency situation," Director Ward pointed out as he tried to suppress the amused smile off of his face. He knew he was going to get calls from this here pretty soon and also knew he would need to have a pretty convincing story to give his superiors.

"I consider this an emergency and Tabitha Clark could be considered a Terrorist by her own actions so I didn't stretch the rules that much," stated the young woman while Mike was no longer sure where he played in this investigation.

"Well I'll cover your back in case there is protest from the top but you need to resolve this quickly before this reaches the Senate's ears. I think the Oversight Committee is getting tired of you appearing before them," Ward said with a soft smile. Though Mona Vanderwaal was considered one of the Agency's brightest stars, she was also one who made the most noise no matter the favorable results.

"Thank you," the young woman said and looked over at Mike; who looked uncertain in his role since the NSA was now in charge.

"What about him? You sending him back to Captain Tanner?" inquired the NSA Director out of curiosity.

"No; I am drafting him and I doubt that Tanner will object since she needs to know what is going on. I'll be in contact," Mona said and her boss nodded before signing off. She then turned her full attention to the young man next to her who still looked uncertain.

"Can you do all this? I don't want you in trouble," Mike said and Mona softly smirked at him in reassurance.

"I can do anything Mike; don't you know that by now? Now what have found?" Mona asked the young man in an effort to get back to the crisis at hand. She knew full well that they were on a time table and needed to act before the FBI came rushing in to recover Spencer; possibly getting her killed in the process.

"CSU went over Toby's apartment with a fine tooth comb and found absolutely nothing of relevance. This makes me think that that they were grabbed outside his apartment; perhaps one at a time. Given that they found his weapon outside on the ground, I believe that Spencer was taken first, then Toby when he went outside to see what happened to her," proposed the man as he showed Mona the evidence compiled. He showed her the pictures of the various areas including Spencer's car as well as the spot where Toby's gun was found.

"That makes sense; the quest though is did Tabitha Clark grab them herself or outsource to someone else? Also, why did she grab them in the first place since Spencer never had a chance to mock her on air which her plan called for," mused the young woman tried to come up with an explanation for it all. It was very rarely that something like this stumped her; which she hated since it now involved someone's life.

"I think she outsourced; the only person we have seen leave the suspected lair was that one woman who we think is Tabitha Clark. We know she went back inside after going out to eat soup at that restaurant and has not been seen leaving again. We also know that she has the local gangs on the payroll so there is a chance that she got one of them to grab Spencer and Toby," suggested Mike as he leaned back in his chair. To say he was stressed was an understatement given the situation at hand.

The plus side of all of this was that his sister and her family as well as the other girls were safely out of the State; having just checked in with them. He didn't tell them about what had happened since he couldn't risk them coming back and putting themselves in danger so he stayed quiet, saying everything was going according to plan. By luck or design, the press had yet to learn about what had happened; though all three agencies were keeping things as quiet as possible. It wouldn't last though since the whole A drama was already out there for the public to know; especially when two of the lead investigators were missing and possibly kidnapped by the suspect. So far, they seemed to be buying that the whole team was hiding away from the press and searching for A; though there was always the risk of leaks exposing the truth.

"Maybe we should go and ask them," Mona stated, catching everyone in the room by surprise and causing them to stare at her. So far, the other agents had stayed silent during the whole exchange though Mike had a feeling that they would obey Mona no matter what she said.

"You want to go and ask some gang leader if he grabbed our friends? That is crazy and will cause a shootout," Mike said to her, still in disbelief on what she just said.

"I am not suggesting that we go there and question them; I propose that we invite the leaders to our base of operations for a little chat," stated the NSA Agent sweetly as she looked over at one of the agents. Mike noticed that he then pulled out a phone and started talking into it; hearing something that indicated that they were going out to grab the gang leaders by force.

"That's insane; you can't do that Mona, no matter how much power you think you have. This is a nation of laws and rules; you can't just go around and break them for your convenience," he practically yelled at her, surprising everyone in the room. The other agents looked at one another questionably since they had no idea what to do.

"Yes I can and I will; this is what the real world looks like behind the scenes and I will everything to save our friends. You can't stop me," Mona said, raising her own voice as well and glaring at him. They were both on their feet now and the room seemed to get a lot colder as well as tense.

"Wow; maybe we should call you A then. After all, you are both power hungry," Mike snarled at her; not choosing his words carefully. Mona then slapped him hard as rage appeared on her face and it took everything she had not to have him thrown out of the mobile command center. The other agents froze and even the guards were unsure on what to do.

Mike's reaction was even more surprising; he reached out and kissed her.

Mona's eyes bulged and it took her a full minute for her brain to register what was happening while Mike continued to kiss her. After finally registering what was happening, the young woman began to return the kiss and closed her eyes. The wall that had developed between the two over the years had fallen away and their feelings for one another began pouring out. The other agents in the room looked away uncomfortably and wondered if they should say something; instead going back to what they were doing before the small argument had broken out. When they were done kissing, they opened their eyes and put their foreheads together as they stared into one another's eyes. It was another full minute before each of them spoke; though it was Mona who first said something.

"We need to save them and do whatever it takes in the process," she said to him and they held one another while the others did their best to go about their business.

"I know; I am sorry for what I said. I was just afraid that you were turning back into her after all of these years," Mike replied and Mona knew full well what he meant.

They had discussed it once; before they started dating back in highschool and were in group therapy together. Contrary to the popular belief at the time, there had been times where Mona had been truthful and conveyed her feelings to the others in the group. One of those fears had been that she had become the very thing she loathed and feared; that she had become a doppelganger of Alison DiLaurentis. Mike had discussed it with her on occasion when they began dating, encouraging her that she was not the blonde. Truth be told, he hated Alison as much as she did; seeing the effect the blonde had on his sister. Mike blamed her for what had happened in town; not Mona even when she was A.

They moved away from each other though they still held hands; after all, they had work to do.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

**Sorry for the late update but I recently got a new job and it is taking a bit more of my time than before. While I will be updating once a week while planned, the days that I do it might be a little sporadic. Thank you for your patience and to Paraddicted for the pre-read!**

Spencer woke up with a headache.

Her head was throbbing as she sat up on what appeared to be a large bed; that looked eerily familiar to her.

The last thing Spencer remembered was that she was going back to her car to get something when she felt something sharp on her neck. Everything had gone black before should even react and the FBI Agent concluded that she had to have been drugged; though she had no idea for how long. It was a little disheartening to her that she had let her guard down like that; especially with what had happened to Mona just a short time ago. While her being attacked even before she could openly mock Doctor Tabitha Clark was never even considered, she should have been careful none the less. She was a member of the FBI and a law enforcement officer; thus she should have stuck to her training on being cautious. Just because she was stationed stateside and had yet to make enemies on her job didn't mean that she could get sloppy.

It was obvious that she had been taken by the insane doctor; given that she was definitely in a very real copy of her room. It slightly freaked her out that the bed was on was exactly like the one that was in storage back in Rosewood; though she was slightly relieved that it was indeed not the one. She had that bed for years and there were certain markings on it that were absent in this version. All the rest of the furniture matched as well and she had to admire how well A had done her research; wondering if she had gotten it all from Ezra's book. Mona had brought up the possibility of Dr. Clark paying Rosewood a visit and she'd wished that they had followed up on that. Not many people visit the town and the Doctor's presence would have been noticed in some way; especially if she was hanging out in her and her friend's old neighborhoods. Ever since the drama of A, people in her hometown were a little more conscious of what was going on around them.

Standing up, though still a little woozy doing so, Spencer looked at herself in the mirror and saw that she was wearing the same attire from back when she was in highschool. She was wearing a long light purple skirt, white blouse with an open black sweater, and some heels. Though her hair was shorter now, it was still tied in a bun; something that she never did anymore. She was also wearing makeup; stuff that she had not worn in years. While the agent still wore a little bit when it came to the office, it was not as much as back when she was still a teenager. Spencer had to admit that Tabitha had done a rather good job in putting her makeup on; which she'd supposed was easy given that she had been unconscious the entire time. Looking over at her vanity, the older woman was slightly disturbed that all the makeup there was exactly the brands she had used back when she had been younger; brands that were no longer sold on the market.

As expected, there was a camera in the room though it was hidden; unlike Charles's that had been in plain sight. In fact, there seemed to be two cameras she could point out in the room so far; both being disguised as smoke alarms. Spencer could tell that they were fake and were really cameras by not only seeing how they looked, with the sensor lights being too large, but where they were positioned in the room itself. State regulations dictated that all smoke alarms be placed in key spots in the room to detect toxic substances; which the two were not. One was placed facing her bed a tad to too close to the ground while the other faced the bathroom; which was a little different since it had a more modern look to it. Walking inside, Spencer saw that it was indeed well stocked and usable. This was somewhat gratifying since Charles's Dollhouse had bathrooms that were only barebones. Instead of there being a shower, there was only a small tub that only had cold water to add to the suffering of the girls.

Moving to the window, it was slightly refreshing as well as irritating that all she could see was red bricks on the other side. It seemed that A didn't bother with the illusion that Spencer wasn't anywhere but confined; unlike Charles who liked his little trickery. One thing that the young woman was glad for was that the bricks matched the same ones she had seen outside the suspected lair; which were unique for the city. This seemed to solidify that they did indeed find the lair and hoped Mona's people were still watching the building. If there was a chance that the Calvary could come rushing in at any moment, then a possible rescue was at hand. She knew full well that Toby would move Heaven and Earth to come rescue her with Spencer being in trouble like this. There was a chance though he had been grabbed as well since there was no way that she could have been moved without him intervening. This gave her the fear that A might use him in order to make Spencer do what she wanted.

After moving away from the bathroom, Spencer checked out the rest of the room; looking through the closet and drawers. As expected, all the clothing matched what she had worn back when she had been a teenager; though she wondered if they were store bought or lifted from her storage space. Unlike the others, Spencer's outwards shape hadn't really changed that much from when she was in highschool; which meant that all her old clothing could still fit her to some degree. Looking through the various articles of clothing, she didn't see any signs that they were hers; which gave her some relief. She also checked out the other things like the books and other stationary items; finding that none seemed to have been lifted from her old home. Spencer had always marked her schoolbooks and none of those markings appeared in the ones that she skimmed through. They also appeared to be new since they had that new book feel as well as a small lair of dust on the pages. That seemed to tell her that no one had yet to occupy this room and that there had yet to be a replica of her chosen.

Instead, it seemed that the insane psychiatrist decided on obtaining the real thing; like she had with Mona.

After checking out the room, Spencer decided to sit back down on the bed since there wasn't anything she could really do. Thinking back to the days of Charles and his Dollhouse, the young woman knew that this A would probably have her do something soon; automatically opening her room door in order for Spencer to head to some location. She was hoping that she could at least see the other two confirmed hostages so that she knew that they were alright; maybe even reassuring them somehow that they would be rescued at some point. However, there was the possibility that the two women might be broken by now; willing to do anything A said in order to not be tortured in some way. Mike had suggested that Spencer keep whatever plans she had to herself since the hostages might turn on her out of fear; a suggestion that Toby had supported given that it was a real possibility. Until she knew the whole situation, it was a good idea to play Tabitha Clark's game for the time being.

It was another minute before there was a chime from the ceiling and the door to her room suddenly slammed open. Knowing the routine well, Spencer stood up and headed to the now open doorway; seeing lights on the walls telling her where to go. Without a word, the FBI Agent walked down the dark corridor and turned right at the junction. She could hear nothing and every door she passed was closed tight; not even a light coming from the cracks in the door. It was another few seconds when she could hear another door open up and noticed a now open space at the end of the hall. Slowly making her way to it, the FBI Agent's eyes bulged at the sight of Toby lying on a bed inside; unconscious and tied up. Rushing towards her boyfriend, she saw that he was still dressed in his work attire; the same attire she saw him in when they were last together. That told her that he must have been grabbed when she had been; which beg the question on who could it have been. Either Tabitha Clark had other people on the payroll or she did the deed herself.

After checking his pulse and seeing that he was breathing normally, the FBI Agent concluded that he was alright. There was another chime and Spencer looked up to see an old fashioned camera fixating on her as well as her boyfriend. The way it was facing her, the young woman got the impression that it whoever was watching from behind the scenes was subtly telling Spencer that she had no power here. It was rather a cleaver thing for A to do in capturing Toby; it was a way for her to force the FBI Agent to do what she wanted. Spencer knew the game well from Charles and what to expect so this A was using a different method to bend the young woman to her will. Tabitha knew that Spencer loved her boyfriend and would anything to keep him safe which was why she took him as well. Walking away from her boyfriend, Spencer looked up at the camera and glared at the person behind it; vowing to make the psychiatrist pay for everything she had done.

Spencer followed the lights down the hall and headed straight forward instead of turning back to her room. There was an open doorway at the end of the hall and stepping into the room, she was startled to see it occupied by two other people. Looking around, Spencer knew this room well and even though it was a carbon copy, she had spent considerable time in it. Somehow, A had managed to recreate Alison's room rather well and the attention to detail was rather amazing despite the insanity behind it. The woman who was supposed to emulate her blonde friend was sitting on the bed and brushing the person who was supposed to represent Mona. Both were dressed exactly the way their originals were back in highschool; though in this case, it was a geekier version of Mona given that she had multiple attires back then. The blonde was in a yellow sundress that left little to the imagination as well as brown expensive boots while the other woman was in a pink sweater vest with a long skirt. From what Spencer knew about the Mona doppelganger, the woman didn't need glasses and seemed to be forced to in this situation; which might screw with her eyes if they didn't get her out of here soon.

The room itself was a carbon copy of her friend's back when she was a teenager as well as before she first disappeared. The young woman had seen similar setups done by both Jessica DiLaurentis as well as her son Charles back in the day. Truthfully, Spencer had rather hated being in Alison's room in the aftermath of the Dollhouse and avoided going into it when the drama was finally done with. Whenever the girls got together or had some meeting about something serious going on in their lives, they met at the other places; even sleepovers happening more at Spencer's house than anything else. While Spencer never asked if the other girls felt the way she did, she had a sensation that they did given that they also avoided going over to their blonde friend's house. By then though, the fracture between the girls happened so her beliefs could never be proven.

"It's about time you showed up Spencer; I was getting tired of brushing this loser's hair," said the Alison clone from the bed when they noticed Spencer. With the way she said it, it seemed to the FBI Agent that the words were rehearsed and that she was being forced to say them.

"I'm sorry Alison," said the Mona clone, those words sounding rehearsed as well. The blonde seemed to have a brief instant of apology on her face before getting back into script; giving Spencer the impression that the blonde did not like saying those words.

Spencer was suddenly flustered by the exchange and a brief feeling of guilt washed over her persona. The young woman was once again reminded that her friend was a bully and had treated others horribly back in highschool; thus what led to many of the problems they had all faced together. While Alison wasn't necessarily responsible for Charles and his attacks on the girls, that blame lying more with Jessica and Kenneth, she was absolutely responsible for Mona turning out the way she did as well as her actions. When the subject came up, Hanna would mention that they were responsible as well given that they did nothing to stop Alison when she was bullying others; not speaking up when they should have. Spencer in a sense had to agree though she never said it out loud; though voicing it privately with Toby when they were alone together. While she could never really be friends with Mona, the FBI Agent had to admit that things could have been different if she had stood up to Alison sooner all those years ago.

"Whatever loser; me and Spencer are going to talk about who we are bringing to the dance while you can go back to the corner with your dolls," the blonde said, waving the dressed-up girl off; though not happy in saying the words. It was somewhat of a relief that the Alison clone hated what she was doing since it meant that the two hostages were not brainwashed yet into their roles yet.

"I thought I told you already Alison that I am taking Toby to the dance," Spencer said to the women as she sat down next to the fake Alison while the fake Mona went to go sit in the rocking chairs to play with the dolls scattered around. The FBI Agent concluded that the Mona clone must have brought them with her from her room the real Alison never played with dolls.

"Toby Cavanaugh is a pervert; especially when it comes to his sister Jenna Marshall. You need to stay away from him," said the blond doppelganger with a somewhat real tone of disgust; a matching look coming from the Mona doppelganger. It appeared to Spencer that the two knew one of her boyfriend's most humiliating secrets when it came to Jenna.

The fate of Jenna Marshall had been a surprise to everyone who knew her and even to this day, Spencer couldn't fully believe it. A year after everything had been resolved when it came to the A Game, the blind young woman had been in a real bad car accident; her taxi slammed into by a drunk driver. While near death and in the hospital for several months, Jenna apparently saw God and converted to Protestantism; becoming an active part of the Church she joined. After doing her absolute best to atone for all the bad things she did while she was younger, even earning Toby's forgiveness, she met an Missionary and later married him. They were now together helping build wells in Central Africa as well as having three kids. From the Christmas cards she saw Toby receive around the holidays, it appeared that she was truly happy and managed to move on with her life and made it out slightly better than anyone from Rosewood.

"You and I both know Alison that Toby was blackmailed by his stepsister; practically being raped by her," Spencer scolded angrily, taking a moment to glare at one of the cameras in the corner that was watching them. If there was one thing she could do right now, it was to correct the record when it came to her boyfriend.

"What?" both women said at once, surprised and acting completely out of character. Spencer had to smile at their obvious shock at knowing the truth; understandable since she herself had been surprised when the revelation happened. Thinking about it, it was because of Mona that they had found out the truth and never really thanked her for it.

"Toby was used by his stepsister and you Alison; taking the blame for blinding her so we couldn't get into trouble. I think after being blackmailed by you, Toby deserves a little happiness," the FBI Agent pressed, not giving a damn if they all acted out of character. As far as she was concerned, these two women needed to know the full truth of what had happened back then.

"Wait, Toby Cavanaugh was raped by his own stepsister?" the Mona clone asked, not sure how to comprehend what she was hearing. Then again, her mind was still wrapping around everything that has happened to her these last few months.

"Yes Mona; it is because of you that we now know that. Toby isn't the villain here, the bitch watching us is," stated Spencer with venom as she once again glared at the camera watching them. The young woman knew she was taking an awful risk by doing this but knew it had to be done since the truth needed to be known.

But of course, actions had consequences as indicated by the sudden blaring that came from the speakers in the ceiling.

**Please Read and Review!**


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Toby opened his eyes.

After becoming fully aware and moving his head, he tried to move; only to find his arms and legs were tied up.

Doing his best to turn his head and look around, the young man saw that he was lying on some sort of bed; a dirty one by the looks of it. It was dark in the room and there was some light peaking in from the window; though it seemed to be boarded up. There was a small red light that caught his attention and apparently came from an old security camera that was fixated on him. It was almost creepy in the way it was staring at him and Toby had a good idea on who was on the other end of it. Other than the bed, there appeared to be a few chairs as well as a dresser in the corner. He could smell the dust in the air and that told him that the room had not been used in a while with it possibly being used for situations like this.

The last thing he could remember was going to look for Spencer when she failed to come back from her car. Whether it was out of instinct or concern, the young man had brought his weapon just in case. Leaving his place, he immediately saw his girlfriend on the ground with two individuals standing over her. After screaming her name, he pointed the gun at the figures, whom were dressed in gang fatigues, and ordered them to get away from Spencer. They seemed to comply and step away with their arms up, which then caused Toby to take a few steps forward to see if Spencer was alright. That was when he heard a noise from behind and before he could turn to see what it was, something hard hit against the back of his head. In fact, the dull ache was still there and he hoped it wasn't serious though he would probably know by now.

It was pretty obvious on who had grabbed them; though he never expected it to be this soon before they had a chance to implement Spencer's plan. Toby had to mentally chastise himself at his stupidity and forgetting that when it came to A, nothing ever went according to plan. While he wasn't a firm believer in the fact that his girlfriend's plans always failed, he should have considered the fact that it would not run smoothly as she believed. When dealing with A, one had to expect setbacks and other issues to come up. In fact, Tanner had warned him about that and even his own training stated that one needed to be ready for things to come up; expect the unexpected so to speak. If he got out of this, the young man promised himself to never be caught by surprise like this again. Toby was also secretly hoping that this would be the last time they would deal with A; that no one else would be inspired to take the mantle.

He suddenly heard blaring coming from the other side of the door and knew that someone was probably being punished. It took a year, but at some point Spencer had come completely clean on what had happened inside the Dollhouse; from the shock torture to the loud noise that kept her from sleeping well. It angered him to no end that she was now going through all of that again and he struggled against the confines in order to try and get himself free. Unfortunately, it seemed that Tabitha Clark was well prepared and had used zip tie on him instead of something a little more less confining. The one plus was that Toby had just gone though some training for this exact situation on how to get free of zip ties; though it was probably going to take a while to get free. He also needed to somehow make sure that he wasn't spotted while trying to free himself in front of A. Since he was on his stomach presently, the young man did his best to get on his back to hide his activities from the camera.

From his place on the bed, all Toby could do was glare at the camera; wanting to make the person on the other end pay for what she has done. Two people were dead and their futures gone forever because of what Doctor Clark had done; not to mention the recent abductions. While it was true that Charles DiLaurentis was also dead because of her as well, the young man could not come to feel sorry for his former nemesis. While Charles was mistreated when he was a kid by his parents and then forgotten, it still did not justify what he did to the girls. Even after all of these years, the scars were still fresh from back then with an impact that would stay with them the rest of their lives. It was unfortunate that this was to be the case once again since even if they were successful in getting out of this alive, the abductees were going to experience the same thing.

The blaring had stopped and Toby could swear he heard the sounds of doors slamming coming from outside his room. That told him that the women were all probably back in their rooms for the day; or night since he had no clue what time it was. There was a chance that the slight illumination coming from outside was sunlight, there was also an equal chance that it was light coming from a street lamp as well. While he did not think he was drugged, there was a chance that was the case given the slight groggy feeling he was having. Toby was also very hungry as well as thirsty and that told him that it was at least a day that had gone by so far; though it also led to complications as well. While he suspected that A was keeping him alive to make sure that Spencer stayed in line, he had no idea how long that would be the case. Truthfully, A didn't need to keep him alive but just needed to convince Spencer that was the case.

It was about ten minutes before he got his hands loose; using a trick to do so that he learned from a buddy he had in the SWAT Team. Though his hands would be sore for a while as well as some pretty rough scratches on his wrists, he was free and that was the only thing that was important right now. He was tempted to get his legs free right now and rush the door, hesitating before doing so. While he liked to think that he could make it to all the girls before A could make a move, Mona had pointed out that Tabitha could have traps in place in case the police ever broke into the building. If he got up from the bed now, the insane psychiatrist might trigger those traps and the abductees could get hurt; maybe even killed by the time he got to them. What he needed to do was be patient and wait for the right opportunity to do so.

That opportunity came in an unexpected way.

Toby could tell that the camera was watching him because of the red light coming from the top of the lens. All of a sudden, the red light went out and so did everything else as apparent from the sudden darkness that enveloped the room. Even with it being barely lit, there had been some light coming from outside; either through the cracks in the doorframe or from outside. Now there was nothing and the young man was tempted to get up right there and then in order to make his escape. He stopped himself however since there was a slim chance that this was a trap or a simple bug in the power system. There was the possibility that the power would jump on a minute later and catch him in the act of escaping; thus endangering the girls. So against his better judgment, he stayed still and continued to watch the camera in case it came back on. After a minute it did with the red light blinking back on; though there was no light coming from outside the building.

Then all of a sudden, there was a strange feeling as some sort of wave washed over him. While it didn't hurt him in any way, it felt like some sort of energy field had moved through him like a gust of wind. The impact was immediate as the camera that was watching over him slightly exploded in a series of sparks. Smoke began emitting from it as the device just fizzled out and the young man was slightly confused on what had just happened. Figuring that something was going on, Toby sprang into action as he sat up and used his free hands to unfasten his feet. Once his feet were free, he jumped up from the bed and rushed to the door; finding it locked of course which he shouldn't have found surprising. He attempted to kick the door several times and shoved his body against it several times in order to forcibly open it. After kicking it for a good minute, the door gave way and opened up; allowing him to head out into the darkened hall.

"SPENCER?!" Toby called out as he struggled to make his way through the darkened hall; stumbling around blindly.

It was pitch black and he was trying to hurry along without tripping over anything. As he went to each door in the hallway, he could suddenly hear faint pounding coming from the right of him, which he quickly ran to. The hallway was like a maze and he had to stop in order to get in a good listen on where the noise was coming from. As he stood there in the darkness, he closed his eyes and while breathing heavily, focused on where the pounding was coming from. It was then that he realized that there were actually three different poundings and that they were coming from the next hall. He went around the corner and the noises got louder as he entered the area; hearing some female voices calling out. He focused on the one that was Spencer and headed to the last door in the hall; which was shaking as someone on the other end was forcibly trying to open it.

"Spencer; is that you?" asked Toby as he knocked on the door and tried the door handle. It was locked and he tried to kick at the doorknob in order to get it open.

"Toby; I 'm trapped," yelled Spencer from the other side of the door. She could hear the other two women pounding to get out as well.

"Get away from the door; I am going to try and break in," ordered the young man from the other side of the locked entrance. Spencer stood back as her boyfriend tried to forcibly break in in order to free her.

After being punished by A for simply telling the two other abductees the truth, they were forced into their rooms. Once they were inside, the blaring stopped and doors locked behind them; leaving Spencer alone in the room. After pacing the room for several minutes, she simply sat down on the bed in order to decide her next move. Everything was starting to come back to her; the experience of when she had been first locked up in the Dollhouse all those years ago. To say it was unsettling was an understatement; if it weren't for her training, she would have probably cracked by now. She was so tempted to start busting cameras in order to prevent the insane doctor from watching her; stopping herself due to not wanting to risk being punished. The other women were going to need her in order to make it through this.

When the power first went out, she thought it was a trap; something that she expected A to do in order to trick the FBI Agent. Then it went out again after that feeling as well as fried all the electronics in the room; causing the cameras in the room to practically explode. She knew something must have happened but had no idea what; though she had a feeling that Mona might be behind this. Spencer didn't know why she suspected it but given the timing of it as well as the flashy nature of the power going out, the young woman just knew that it was her. Hopefully, that meant the Calvary was about to come rushing in. With all the power out and the electronics fried, A would be completely vulnerable and unable to defend herself. While there could be little surprises waiting for them still, whatever Mona used to fry everything might have neutralized them effectively. After another minute, the door gave way and busted in with a large crack; Toby now appearing in the doorframe.

"When A showed me your body on the bed, I had no choice but to comply," Spencer told him as the two embraced. The young woman was doing her best to hold back her tears of joy at seeing her boyfriend.

"I know; I am curious on what just happened though," inquired the young man as the two left the room to free the others. Other than the pounding, they couldn't hear anything going on inside the building.

"If I had to bet, I would say that this is probably all Mona; coming to the rescue," stated the FBI Agent while the attempted to kick in the door to the Alison-lookalike in the next room. They couldn't afford to waste the opportunity to escape while all of Tabitha Clark's systems were down.

"She was always good with the flashy entrances," said the State Police Officer and they managed to get the door open and the blonde came rushing out. Even in the darkness, Spencer could see the tears of joy at being free.

"I am so sorry for what I said; she made me do it," cried Freya Patterson as she stood there in the darkness and was fighting the urge to sob. She truthfully thought she was going to die in this place and never see anyone ever again.

"It's okay; we understand," Spencer assured the young woman as Toby went to work on the other door. Once the last abductee was freed, they would look for a way out of the building before they were caught.

"Oh thank you!" stated Sarah Maxwell as she practically leaped into Toby's arms and hugged the man for all his worth. She was so grateful to be free at last and wanted to get out of the clothing she was in as fast as possible.

"We need to get out of here," Spencer said to the group as she looked around to see a way out; which was difficult to do in the darkness.

"You're not going anywhere," said an angry voice in the darkness and a light shined on the group coming from a flashlight; which was held by Doctor Tabitha Clark who had a gun drawn on them in her other hand.

"Let us go and it will go easier for you," Toby told the woman as he and the rest of the group put their hands up. He was tempted to rush the insane doctor but Spencer was in the way and would get hurt as well as one of the other women.

"You ruined my game; you'd think I would let you go after that? I am A and it's my world now so once you are all gone, I will find some new dolls to play with," Tabitha said to the group with an insane smirk on her face; which they could not see. The words though sounded so cheesy that they caused Spencer to laugh out loud for some reason; which caused everyone to look at her.

"Sorry; what you said is just so funny," the FBI Agent said as she snickered and struggled not to start losing it with a laughing fit. Everyone was looking at her completely confused since this was a rather serious situation they were in; which Spencer knew full well.

"What do you mean by that?" Doctor Clark asked, both confused and angry at the same time since she never expected Spencer to start laughing at her. What she had been expecting was for them to beg for their lives or try to attack in some way.

"You really just sound so pathetic; like a Bond villain of some kind. Charles and Mona were way scarier than you now that I think about it. I think even their motives were far more believable than your pathetic reason. Mona was out for revenge that was rather justifiable looking back and even Charles's could be understood in some way. As for you, I am just kind of disappointed; other than the bodies being dressed up like dolls, you really are just a copycat that lacks vision," Spencer told the woman as she hoped the insane doctor would believe her lies. While what she was doing was incredibly risky, Spencer knew people often made mistakes when they were really angry; which she hoped would be the case in this situation.

"You bitch," snarled A as she raised her weapon to end Spencer's life once and for all. Toby moved to shield her when a sudden rocking of the building caused them to all lose their balance.

What happened next was slightly confusing for the group as smoke suddenly filled the hallway as well as shouting being heard. They fell to their knees as the two law enforcement officers recognized the tear gas, covering their mouths as well as their eyes. They then moved to the other two abductees and did the same thing; tearing off clothing to do the deed. Spencer could hear violent coughing coming from Tabitha and though about rushing the woman; not being able to with the heavy smoke in the room. As it started to subside, they were swarmed by what appeared to be military soldiers all armed with assault rifles; definitely not standard issue for the FBI and the Pennsylvania State Police. The young woman had a feeling that they were more than likely Mona's people and was glad to see them. She was about to point out where the perpetrator was but it was too late.

Doctor Clark was gone and nowhere to be seen.

**Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read!**


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

**This is the second to last chapter for the story and I want to thank all those who have kept up with the fic. I know it is a lot shorter than my other stories but this one was pretty straight forward; though there will be a twist in the next one that you might enjoy. A big thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read as always.**

They waited patiently for the hearing to begin.

While Mona sat with her immediate superior in the front area of the meeting hall, Spencer and the others were the rows directly behind her.

It had been a long few weeks since the Dollhouse; a lot of mopping up to do. While Spencer wasn't in official trouble for being grabbed by A, she was bound to the desk for a few months while she was under review; the same with Toby with his superiors. The two other abductees were undergoing some pretty heavy therapy on what they had experienced; not only inside the Dollhouse itself but also the months of being harassed by A. Spencer planned to have a sit down with them at some point since she knew full well what they had gone through. She was hoping that she could be there for them as her friends had been there for each other. The FBI Agent had even gotten in contact with her old therapist Doctor Sullivan for help; giving her the contact information for the women so they had someone.

As expected, everything that had happened had made the news; which prompted a media sensation that had engulfed everyone. While Spencer and Toby were being attended to in the hospital, her mother and sister had arrived straight from England to support her. Aria and Hanna, along with their mates, had also made it back to Philadelphia and had been furious on not being informed about what had happened. Since it was Mona who was responsible for that little factor, they had thankfully taken their anger out on her; who just ignored them and rolled her eyes during their complaining. Spencer had received calls from Alison and Emily, who had heard about the whole thing on the news, and wondered if she needed them to come for support. The young woman had declined their offers and told them to stay where they were; to enjoy their lives away from the drama. Truth be told, Spencer did not want Alison anywhere near what was going on since she would cause a headache in the face of the other girls.

How Mona managed to rescue the abductees was rather interesting; requiring a few hoops to be jumped through. The reason why she couldn't immediately come to the rescue was because the gangs that Tabitha Clark had bought off and was watching the Lair had to be dealt with first; which was understandable. Mona had managed to get every last gang member identified and rounded up; which had caused all the police precincts in the area to be quite busy. They had also managed to hit them all quickly in order to prevent the insane psychiatrist from reacting to the loss of her allies. After the gang members were subdued, Mona disabled the power in that part of the city where the Lair was located. When Tabitha Clark attempted to restore power, Mona then detonated an EMP Bomb which was the wave that they had all felt inside the Dollhouse.

The Lair was rather sophisticated when the police and other authorities finally managed to delve through it. Tabitha Clark had been quite cleaver in designing the place with multiple rooms being set up for a specific purpose; with her central hub protected by a series of traps and other surveillance equipment. The EMP Bomb had managed to disable everything electronic in the place so the analysts were still going over and recovering every last little surprise that the doctor had managed to leave behind; which could have been deadly if they had been active at the time the troops stormed the place. A had also managed to tap into the power grid of all the surrounding buildings in the area without having to pay for it herself; ciphering electricity so that no one would notice. She had also done the same thing for water as well as the internet; though she had used proxy servers to create her own network. There were also a series of secret passages found which explained how Spencer and Toby were brought into the place without being noticed from the people Mona had watching the place.

Tabitha Clark had yet to be found; something that still irritated Spencer all this time later. During the debriefing meetings between all the participating parties, including the NSA, the speculation on where the woman had fled to had come up quite a lot. The problem was that Tabitha Clark was a loner and had to real friends from her childhood; thus there were none to look at who could possibly be hiding her. They were also unable to locate all of the insane psychiatrist's hidden back accounts; thus the woman could be using them to hide her anywhere. There was a nationwide alert for her whereabouts and even a monetary reward for any relevant information on her possible location. The FBI had even contacted Interpol for their help and the fugitive was being hunted in Europe as well as other aligned nations. So far nothing had turned up and Spencer was getting frustrated along with Toby. The fact that A was still out there bothered her a great deal since that meant that the Game was not over.

Mona seemed unconcerned though; which had aroused Spencer's suspicions until Toby had told her to let it go.

Even though Spencer and Toby weren't in trouble, it seemed that Mona had a lot to answer for before they were rescued. The NSA Agent had taken all authority in the case for herself and had stepped on quite a few toes in the process; Tanner was still furious from what Spencer understood from her boyfriend. Both her boss and Toby's had filed an official complaint with the State Attorney General, which then got bumped up the food chain to where Mona was now answering to a United States Senate Committee on the whole affair. Mike had indicated that this was not the first time that the young woman had to come before this particular committee and there was a chance that she might have seriously crossed the line this time. When Spencer and Toby had inquired about the whole thing to Mona, she was elusive and even told the two to stay out of it. Spencer had been tempted to do so but it was at Hanna's instance that they make an appearance to support the NSA Agent.

Currently, everyone who had any connection to the case and even Mona herself were seated in the benches in order to support her. Directly behind her were Mike and Leona while Hana as well as Caleb sat directly behind them. Spencer was sitting next to Aria and Ezra, with Toby on her right. She noticed that Tanner was not too far away in the other side of the aisle while there was an official representative from the FBI as well. Her boss had mentioned that he would not consider it disloyal to be there for Mona, though he did express annoyance for the NSA Agent when she did what she did. He did seem genuinely grateful that Spencer was returned safely but made sure to point out that she would be under a little more scrutiny in the future. The young woman didn't mind though since this case had taken a toll on her both physically and emotionally. Even though it had been for a very short time, being back in the Dollhouse had brought back some memories that she rather leave buried.

"How much trouble is she in?" Aria asked, whispering to Spencer as she fidgeted in her seat, looking around at all the official people present. She was dressed as if she was going to a dinner party; a long grey dress that was the only thing she could think of that was appropriately suitable for the hearing.

"I don't know; Mona wouldn't say," Spencer answered as she whispered back; wondering if she should have asked Hanna since the blonde probably knew a little more than she did.

"I wish the kids were a little older so they could attend this; in fact, I never thought I would be in on one of these things," remarked the shorter woman as she fidgeted in her seat. The kids were back in Rosewood being watched by her parents while she and Ezra were out of town.

"I know; I've seen a few live on television and that is about it. I kind of want to know how many of these Mona has been to since I get the impression that it has been more than a few," said the FBI Agent to her friend as she watched Mona's body language and noted how calm the woman appeared to be. Then again, Mona always seemed to be calm no matter what; even during when the times she appeared to lose it, one was never too sure if it was real.

Mona wasn't alone in facing the Senators as they began to enter from the side room; her Director being right next to the woman. Like Mona, his face was impassive and Spencer noted how the man seemed a little too friendly towards her; indicating that they have a more than just a work related relationship. While she didn't know all the details, Mike had mentioned that the older man was like a surrogate father of sorts to Mona; that it was he that first recruited into the Agency though Spencer had already deduced that for herself. The two seemed ready for the confrontation as the Committee members as they sat down and looked down at the assembled; like hawks watching their prey. Studying their facial features, most seemed impassive though more than a few almost seemed like they were annoyed to be here. The silent conversations stopped in the room as the Committee Chair banged the gavel and Mona as well as her boss stood; raising their hands as they were sworn in.

"This Hearing will come to order," said the Senator, a large burly man by the name of Jim Peterson in a deep tone that garnered no argument.

He was a Senator from the State of Texas; known for his hawkish attitude towards National Security. He was Caucasian and about six feet tall, in his sixties, and had a clean shaven face with some grey hair on the edges of his head. Like the rest of the Senators, he was wearing a grey suit; which looked to cost more than her average paycheck. Spencer had seen him on television a few times and did not seem to mind him despite her colleagues love for the guy because his favorability with the FBI. Despite his hawkish beliefs, the man was also known for holding the different agencies accountable for their actions; even throwing those who testified before him out of the room when they didn't answer a question. From what she knew, the man was set to retire next year from the Committee and would not be seeking reelection; which very few knew why. It was rumored that he was sick though Spencer couldn't see it unless the man was dressed up to appear differently.

"So Ms. Vanderwaal; here we are again," stated the Senator in a tone that both indicated bemusement and irony at the same time.

"Yes Senator," Mona said back in a monotone voice that almost seemed to those around her that it was out of boredom. Spencer wondered if Mona was trying to be passive aggressive towards the Committee or she had something else in mind.

"I think I have seen you more this past year than my own daughter; and she is still in college," Senator Peterson said to the young woman with his demeanor staying the same.

"I am sorry to hear that Senator," Mona said to the man in a tone that she couldn't care less; though only those who knew Mona well could tell that.

"Yes, I imagine you are; so it seems that you did not learn your lessons from the Damascus and Berlin Incidents after all," remarked the man as he stared at Mona with intense scrutiny which Spencer would have cracked under in a heartbeat. The FBI Agent was amazed that the young woman did not seem to falter at all.

"I would like to state Senator that Agent Vanderwaal's actions resulted in the safe return of the hostages and the removal of a terrorist threat; like the Damascus and Berlin incidents. ," pointed out the Assistant-Director as he spoke up before his subordinate could. Whatever they were talking about obviously never made the news since Spencer was completely clueless on the two incidents.

"Her actions also resulted in her interfering with a joint Pennsylvania-FBI Investigation by illegally seizing control of it," countered the Senator as he leaned back in his chair. There were a few nods from his colleagues; with one of them glaring at the young woman.

"People were in harm's way and I did what was necessary to get them out alive. I would also like to point out that I was allowed to be a part of the investigation by the ones who were actively running it; who are grateful for me saving their lives," Mona struck back in a sharp tone that caught many in the room by surprise.

"Which was your excuse last time if I seem to recall; both the Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI seemed to disagree however. They also have made on the record complaints about your conduct and are demanding that something be done," Peterson told Mona and the assembled gathered to support her looked at one another in concern. It seemed that Mona was in real trouble and there was a chance that she could lose her job after today.

"They had no plan of action and I had to intervene since time was of the essence. I do not regret my actions in any way," the NSA Agent told the man firmly and one could hear the conviction in her tone. Even when she had been A, there was very few things that Mona had ever regretted which was somewhat admirable despite the bad things.

"So I have read; I am still not sure though why this case warranted your attention since this was clearly a local matter and not a case of domestic terrorism. The NSA, while handles threats of domestic terrorism, is responsible for cases that are truly the result of terrorism. In my opinion, as well as those of my colleagues, this does not count," stated the Senator with every other member of the Committee nodding in agreement. Now Spencer really was concerned since it was apparent to her that Mona was in real trouble.

"With all due respect Senator, I disagree greatly. Doctor Tabitha Clark was an individual that was both manipulative and dangerous to the public; terrorizing innocent civilians and murdering them by taking on the persona as A. She then mocked the authorities by staging the bodies on full display in Federal Offices in the State of Pennsylvania; dressing them like Dolls to satisfy her need for entertainment. She had access to resources that was on par with most know terrorist organizations and was in league with criminal elements within this country; some that have been allied with extremist elements in the past. Even though she did not have a political or religious agenda, Doctor Clark can be classified as a terrorist in this case," Mona argued to the Committee as she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms; taking a defiant tone with the group of Senators. Spencer couldn't help but be awestruck on how Mona could just sit there and confront the public officials without a second thought.

"So you took it upon yourself to deal with this perpetrator that was clearly a domestic case by yourself with no operational authority?" Peterson asked, brushing aside Mona's defiance with stride. There was definitely a clash going on here and all the assembled could do was watch and hope that Mona wouldn't go too far.

"Yes; and I remind the Committee that I was invited in to help with the investigation and was the one who resolved everything when two of my team members were incapacitated. Lives were at stake and I acted; simple as that," stated the NSA Agent in a tone that indicated that she wasn't taking this seriously; much to the dismay of those who were her to support her.

"And that required you to use a military grade EMP explosive in the heart of Philadelphia which could have caused some serious damage to the city?" asked another Senator skeptically; a female one from another State whose name Spencer was not familiar with.

"As you can read in the report, Tabitha Clark's Lair was full of traps and dangerous materials that could have caused serious hampering to the abductees as well as those sent in to rescue them. I felt that the use of the EMP explosive was best method of disabling any object that could have harmed lives," answered the young woman simply; shrugging her shoulders as if it were nothing.

There was a couple of seconds of silence before the Committee members moved in close to have a private conversation. Mona just leaned back and touched the back of Mike's hand as he leaned in to put it on her shoulder; signaling that they were indeed back together. Leona smiled that her daughter seemed to be happy and hoped that the relationship would last this time. Spencer was studying the Committee members and trying to catch what they were saying by reading their lips; though they were doing a good job of covering their mouths. What little she could tell, it seemed that they were engaged in a pretty intense conversation and it was obvious that they were deciding Mona's fate. Even though the young woman could only be let go by the NSA Leadership itself, the Senate Committee could still make a strong recommendation for her dismissal; that would be carried out because the NSA was dependent on a budget.

After a minute, the Committee had made a descision.

**Please Read and Review!**


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

**I am sorry for the extremely late updates with this fic but with me being sick all last week, the long hours at my job, and other factors; it was hard for me to even write. This is the last chapter of the story and I want to thank all those who reviewed as well as followed the story until the end. Also a huge thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read as usual.**

Mona was surprised that she was so nervous.

She hadn't been when attending the last Committee Session; especially for the Berlin incident which had been far more serious.

There was a chance that she might have crossed the line at long last; something that she supposed was inevitable. Mona had a habit of taking bold chances and doing what it took to accomplish a goal; whether it being A to get back at Alison or stepping on allies to save American Marines in a warzone. While the people above her might look the other way when it came to her saving others, they would only do it for so long before she did something really stupid and out there. Securing a military grade EMP Bomb from the military to activate in the heart of Philadelphia might have been a little too much when she thought about it. The move had surprised her superiors at the NSA and even her mentor sitting next to her. He wasn't mad that she did it but did warn her that this might be the last straw.

If she was let go, then there was no way that Mona was ever going to work in the Federal Government again; she would be blacklisted. Of course she would still be guaranteed her pension and she already had enough to live comfortably for the rest of her life; though she would have to look at another career path. Then again, Mona had earned such a reputation in her line of work that any Government worldwide would grab her in a heartbeat. Even the Russians and the Chinese had made subtle offers of employment if she ever found herself afoul of her own Government. While Mona would never take them up on their offer, especially with her mother still being alive, she did keep their offers under consideration. While she was loyal to her nation, the NSA Agent wasn't stupid either. In this business, it was smart to keep your options open and to have friends in other circles just in case.

Truthfully, Mona would rather be facing the Senate Committee alone; except for her mentor who was required to be here. While a part of her appreciated all the people who had shown up to support her, she was still somewhat put off by it. She had gone to a lot of trouble to keep her personal and professional lives separate that to have them collide like this made the young woman all the more apprehensive. When Mona and her mother visited one another, usually somewhere outside of Rosewood, they never talked about what she did for the NSA. Leona had understood that her daughter was living a dangerous life and did her best to stand by the young woman despite of it. It had been hard for the two of them but they would find other things to chat about; whether it be about the latest fashion or some sort of family event. The other subject that they never talked about was what was going on back in Rosewood; especially when it came to the people that had impacted her life in Rosewood.

Now they were all her with a front row seat to a life that she wanted to keep hidden.

"Ms. Vanderwaal; seems you have quite the gathering of support unlike the last few times you came before us," Senator Peterson observed as he looked about the room. His tone was surprisingly polite and somewhat gentle; which put Mona off a little.

"Just family and friends," Mona said neutrally, suddenly on guard for some reason. His friendly demeanor made her suspicious since her past dealings with the man never seemed to go well.

"Interesting; I knew you had a mother but was informed that you did not socialize outside of work," stated the Committee Member as he just sat back and stared at the young woman. There was a twinkle in his eye that Mona simply did not like.

"It's been an interesting case," the NSA Agent said dryly; maybe a little more harshly than she wanted since everyone was here to support her. It may have been at Hanna's prompting but it was still a nice gesture.

"So I have seen; when we last saw you, it was assured by your immediate superiors that you would be placed in a position that would be out our attention given past events. It seems Ms. Vanderwaal that you can cause chaos wherever you go," the older man said with a smirk; which caused Caleb to snort out loud. He smiled apologetically to everyone as Hanna just glared and even Mike gave the young man a dirty look.

"I was dragged into this Senator; once there, things escalated beyond my control and I did everything I could to resolve them without endangering more lives," Mona snapped, suddenly becoming angry and startling everyone around her. Though the Senator's colleagues were taken aback by the display, the man himself just met the outburst with a polite smile.

"And you accomplished that; I have to admit that. The problem now is that how you did it was your usual flashy and problematic way; thus we now have to find a way to fix this," countered the Senator calmly with the other Senators nodding their heads in agreement.

"This isn't a mess; everything has been resolved and no other lives have been lost in the process so I don't see why this Committee needs to deal with this," Mona said to the group as she tried to stay calm. She had been tempted to make a crack about investigating hair salons but decided it was in her best interest to stay silent.

"I see that you really believe that and I have to admire your convictions when it comes to how you accomplish your job; I really do. The problem we now have is how you do it and those who are affected by your decisions," Senator Peterson told the young woman with a smile that almost disarmed her. Mona had heard those words before; from other people in her life.

"If you don't like how I do my job in protecting this country; then just fire me and be done with it then," the NSA countered angrily, tired of all the runaround and wanting to get straight to the point. Truth be told, she just wanted this to all be over so she could decide on filling out a résumé or not for a new employer.

She was physically surprised when the older man just chuckled at that.

"In all my years of serving this country of ours, there are very few who I have met that is talented as you Ms. Vanderwaal. You might be a rogue of sorts and prone to going above your place to accomplish whatever task you are given no matter the consequences; but I cannot overlook your value which I want to remain here. So we are not going to fire you Agent Vanderwaal but make some recommendations," said the Senator in an almost fatherly tone of voice.

"What kind of recommendations?" asked Director Ward hastily before Mona could get a word in to inquire what the Senator meant. She was actually surprised the apparent praise she just gotten despite the whole situation she was in.

"We in the Committee have noticed that Ms. Vanderwaal has A LOT of Government required vacation time saved up; that she has not taken in the ten years of being in the service of the National Security Agency. It is strongly recommended that Agent Vanderwaal take some of that time off for the next month to get some rest; which we truly believe she needs. Once her leave is over, she is to be reinstated in the Philadelphia Office and to not get involved in local affairs unless given permission by Washington. Are we in understanding about this?" Senator Peterson asked and a quick look from her mentor made Mona nod that she understood.

"Good; because I am set to retire here soon and truth be told Ms. Vanderwaal, while I have been amused by our sessions with you, I don't want to have you before anymore. We are dismissed," said the Committee Chair as he banged the gavel and rose from his seat; along with the his other Senate colleagues. Mona just sat there slightly stunned about what just happened while Mike put a hand on her shoulder.

"I really thought this was the end for me," Mona said to Director Ward as they stood up from their seats and looked at each other. While Mike and Leona were close by, the others there to support her were hanging back just a bit.

"So did I; I even had Mossad on speed dial so we can put you where you are needed. You got lucky and I really agree that you need some time off to get some rest; you have been working non-stop for a few years now," stated the Director and while the young woman did not want to admit that she did need a break, Mona really had no choice in the matter.

"I am fine with that; it has been too long since my daughter has been home and now we can now spend more time together," Leona said as she and Mike entered the conversation. Though he tried to hide it, Mike was rather happy on how things turned out.

"I didn't say I was going back to Rosewood," Mona said to the group as the rest of those who came to support her entered the conversation. While she was forced to accept this little sabbatical, there was no way she was going back to the town where she was raised.

"It'll be fine Mona; the town hasn't changed that much and everyone has practically forgotten about all the drama back then. Why don't we all have a formal celebration back at Spencer's house when we get back into town?" suggested Hanna as she wrapped Mona in a side hug and smiled bubbly.

"Why my house?" Spencer inquired defensively, wanting to know why the blonde was bringing her into all of this. While she was secretly glad that Mona had made it out of this unscathed slightly, they still were not exactly friends; despite the fact that she did owe her life to the NSA Agent.

"Because your house is sitting there unused and has all the room we need. Emily and Paige will be in town next week, making this the perfect opportunity for a party; especially given that this will be such a rare opportunity for us to be one place for once," Hanna answered in a tone that indicated that no one should argue with her. While both Mona and Spencer were reluctant to want to attend something like this, they felt that they had no real other choice.

"Well why don't we have a pre-celebration party at the hotel's lounge; I imagine that we could all use a drink," Ezra put out and there were more than a few nods of agreement.

"I have to take care of something at the office before I start my official vacation; I'll meet you all there," Mona said and the rest of the group became suddenly concerned. While Hanna was worried that her friend was trying to get out of the celebration, Mike thought that Mona was trying to run away.

"It is just a little paperwork on today's events; I promise you all that I will drive her myself to have those drinks with you once things are taken care of," assured Director Ward and the group seemed to believe his promise. Once Mona said her goodbyes, she left with her mentor and his armed escort.

Heading to one of the side entrances of the Capitol Building, the two proceeded to the parking garage where they entered a black sedan.

"So when does she get transferred?" Mona asked as the driver drove them to NSA Headquarters just a few miles away. The building was new and lay just on the edge of the city; away from all the hustle and bustle of Washington D.C.

"Tomorrow; Guantanamo is expecting her," the Director answered as he looked over at his student, curious on what she planned to say to the prisoner. Truthfully, he was rather surprised that Mona didn't just have the woman executed rather than imprisoning the dangerous psychopath.

"Good; a shame that I can't escort her myself but it is out of my hands now," stated the young woman with a trace of regret in her voice. She was devoted to her career and wanted to solely focus on it rather than partake in a forced vacation.

"It's only for a month or two and then you will be back. You are perfect for taking over for my position one day Mona and don't let this set back deter you. Like I do with my wife and daughter, we all need a break to be with loved ones so that we can remind ourselves on why we do the things we do," the mentor gently taught; which had done since the beginning. Though Mona didn't like it, she nodded in understanding.

"If you say so," Mona said though she kept herself from rolling her eyes. While she could see a future with Mike, there were other important issues ahead of him; which he understood given his own job.

Instead of driving to the main building, the car veered off onto a side road and towards a side bunker that lay not too far away; next to a decent-sized airfield. Surrounded by plain grass and made completely of cement, it was eyeshot of the main NSA building though cornered off from outside scrutiny. The airfield itself had large transport planes on the tarmac and numerous personnel working that were a mix of NSA as well military. Getting out, the two approached the armed soldiers that stood guarding the entrance to the structure, moving aside once Director Ward flashed his credentials. Mona also showed the soldiers hers and one of them went to open the bunker's titanium door; allowing the two to enter.

After heading inside, passing more armed soldiers, they took a right turn and approached a large metal door that was sealed shut with an electronic lock. After typing in his password, the Director and Mona entered a large room that contained a glass prison; which a lone person was occupying. The room was covered by surveillance equipment which were all centered on the prisoner for good reason; making sure she was watched 24/7 until her transfer to a far more secured facility. Inside the glass prison was a single cot, a sink, and a toilet that the woman could use; who was lying on her cot and sat up after seeing Mona enter the room. The NSA Agent just smiled at the glare that was coming from the prisoner as she pulled up a chair to sit down on; in order to have a conversation with her. Director Ward left to conclude some business and left the two alone.

"Well this will be the last time we see each other so I thought I would come by," Mona told Doctor Tabitha Clark sweetly as she smirked at the woman.

"Why not just kill me now and be done with it?" inquired the insane doctor, both angry and curious at the same time. Ever since she had been grabbed back in the Dollhouse, she had been confined here without even a trial.

"Because that would have worked against my plans to get back at you for attacking me in my own home. I also want to punish you by keeping you imprisoned for what you did to the others; which means that you are going to spend the rest of your life in the deepest and darkest hole I can find," answered the NSA Agent with an evil smile as she leaned back in the chair. Given her connections and seniority, it had been rather easy to find somewhere to keep the doctor confined for the rest of her life.

"Even the others wouldn't let you get away with this; they are too much goody two shoes to let me be imprisoned without a fair trial," the psychiatrist pointed out, trying to make a point. She had studied the couple and knew full well they would stick to their oaths of office no matter the circumstances.

"This is why they don't know I have you; and this works in my favor for my revenge. You see, ten years ago I was framed for something I didn't do; I was forced away from my home and my graduation plans ruined. When I grabbed you, I knew that I now had a way to get back at the others without being totally overboard. As far as Spencer and Toby are concerned, they think you are still out there and that puts them on edge; which is also happening with the others since you decided to mimic their greatest nightmare. As long as they think you are free and able to return to haunt them, I get to sit back and enjoy watching them squirm," explained the young woman simply; which caused Tabitha to stare at her completely aghast.

"So you haven't changed one bit; you are still the same way back in high school," accused the other woman with fury in her voice. A small part of her couldn't help but admire what the NSA Agent was doing; but it was drowned out by anger.

"I have changed; a great deal. I could have crushed the others years ago for what they did to me. I could have sent a sniper team to take out Alison at any time; especially given the number of favors people around the world owe me. But this is a subtle way for me to remind everyone that I do remember those who wrong me; even if they don't know it. I am Mona Vanderwaal and I am still the Queen of Rosewood," stated Mona firmly as she stood up.

She then left the woman standing in the room screaming insults at her.

**The End**

**Please Read and Review!**


End file.
